


Busman's Holiday

by 70mtt



Series: Playing with Matches [5]
Category: The Monkees (Band), The Monkees (TV)
Genre: 1960s, Angst, Friendship, Gen, Holidays, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Mild Sexual Content, Mystery, Summer Vacation, Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-03
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:08:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 48,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22547554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/70mtt/pseuds/70mtt
Summary: The guys have headed out to help do some work on Peter's grans beach house, but things are never that simple with the Monkees, are they?
Relationships: Mike Nesmith/Peter Tork
Series: Playing with Matches [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1489175
Comments: 6
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

“Come on, get a move on, you two. Mick, Davy, get your cases down here now. The cab’s due soon, and we don’t want to be late for our flight,” Mike shouted up the spiral staircase.

“We’ll be down in a minute. It’s just that Davy can’t manage to shut his case—it’d be all right if he hadn’t packed too many cosmetics and clothes. I’ve offered to help, but he won’t let me.”

“Mike, tell him I need my hair products and toiletries, and I’ve packed for if it’s rainy and cold too. At least I’ve folded my clothes, not just thrown them into two cases like him.”

“Just both of you quit the arguing and get your asses down here. And, Micky, what have you done? I thought Annie had packed for you, so how come it’s a mess now? Just bring them down and we’ll help you sort them out.” Mike was getting fed up with the two younger Monkees.

Micky brought down his cases and Annie came over, tidied and repacked them for him, and he decided to add a few more things as she’d made room by folding things and reorganizing everything. Davy had finally managed to close the lids on his, and brought them down.

“Good. At least we’re all ready now—nobody forgotten anything, have you?” He looked at the other three and at the eight cases now by the front door. “Annie, we’ll call when we get there,” Mike said.

“Don’t worry, everything’s gonna be fine. Coco’s stopping over tonight, then Christine’s back home tomorrow. Just go and enjoy your break. Forget about this place. Gran’s got your tickets. She phoned to remind me earlier that your return tickets are open, so you can come back when you want.”

“I’m gonna go and say bye to the twins.” Pete walked over to Annie’s room and checked on them, giving each a kiss on their heads. He came back into the living room and sat by Mike on the couch.

“I’ve put our guitars in the closet out of the way. Is there anything else you need to know before we leave? I stripped our bed. Thanks for offering to do a major clean-up,” Mike said.

“Can’t think of anything right now, but I can always call you. I’ll get the phone number from Gran. I don’t mind the cleaning. It’ll keep me busy. There’s plenty to do. Davy, Micky you don’t mind me cleaning up your room, do you?, if there anything you don't want me to see, you better hide it now." 

They both mouthed _no_ to Annie.

A car horn beeped outside and then there was a knock at the front door. Micky opened the door to Mrs. Straus and a guy in a chauffeur’s uniform. The guy picked up their cases to take to the car parked outside.

“Morning, boys. You all ready to leave? The driver will load your luggage. You don’t need to do anything. I’m going to leave the house phone number with Annie in case she needs you. Are the babies asleep? If so, I won’t disturb them. I might travel back with the boys when they return. You won’t be able to keep me away, and I’ll persuade your mom to visit too.”

After the luggage was loaded and they’d said their goodbyes, they set off to the airport. Soon they were pulling up outside the terminal where the driver unloaded the luggage and got a porter to take it inside on a trolley. They then went to check in and go through to the departure lounge. Mrs. Straus giving the porter a huge tip, which he gratefully accepted.

“We’ve got about just over an hour until we fly, so there’s time for you to get a drink or have a look around. Peter, would you please get me a coffee?” Mrs. Straus said, giving him some money. “There’s enough if you all want a drink. Just listen out for the flight announcements—we’ll probably be boarding soon.”

Pete came back with coffees for his gran and Mike and a tea for himself. Davy and Micky had bottles of sodas. Davy had bought some magazines for the journey. Micky had bought candy, and was already starting on a chocolate bar.

They were soon called to board the plane. Mrs Straus gave them their boarding cards. “No losing these guys, otherwise you’ll be stuck here,” Mike said.

When they reached the plane door, the stewardess checked their passes and told them to turn left.

“Wow” said Davy as he winked at her. “Micky you better behave: we’re flying first class! Just do as I do. Follow me.”

“What difference does it make, being near the front? We all land at the same time, so as long as everybody’s got a seat does it really matter?” Mike asked.

“Have you flown much, Mike? Turning left on a plane is luxury flying! Bigger, more comfy seats, free drinks, snacks, better-looking air stewardesses—you get treated like royalty hidden behind curtains. It’s something I’ve always wanted to do.” Davy was preening himself already.

“I once tried sneaking to a first class toilet, but got stopped by a trolley dolly.” Micky laughed. “Movie stars, models, pop stars—they all fly first class. We may even recognize some passengers.”

They found their seats, Pete and Mike together, Davy and Micky behind them, and Mrs. Straus opposite. As soon as they sat, a stewardess was there offering them a complimentary drink.

“It’s just over a five-hour flight, boys, so just relax and enjoy it. The seats recline, so you can sleep if you want. I never fly any other way. They’ll serve you a meal, too, when we’re in the air,” Mrs Straus said as she helped herself to a champagne from the stewardess’ tray

Micky and Davy grabbed champagne when Mike wasn’t looking. Micky pocketed the peanuts he was given. “Look at the room to stretch out your legs out. That doesn’t really make much difference to you though, Davy—do your feet actually reach the floor?”

“Quit it, you two. The other passengers are in here to have a quiet flight. And don’t think I didn’t see sneaking champagne. You want me to tell the hostess to only give you soda or juice?”

“No, Mike, I’ll be quiet. I promise. I’ll try and get some sleep after we’ve eaten. You ought to look after Pete. He’s being very quiet, don’t you think?” Micky asked.

“Okay. I’m keeping my eye on you, Mick.” Mike looked over at Pete. “You all right, babe? Don’t you like flying? Don’t worry—I’m here.” He grabbed Pete’s hand.

“I'll be fine when we’re up in the air. I’m not keen on taking off and landing. Yeah, the most important bits. I just get a bit nervous. I might try get some sleep, if you don’t mind. They’ll bring us a blanket—we can get close underneath it, if you want?” He smiled up at Mike.

A young blonde stewardess came around with pre-take-off mints, and to check everybody’s hand luggage was stowed away and their seatbelts were fastened. She smiled down at Davy, as he watched her walking up the aisle.

The pilot announced take-off was in about five minutes, so the crew did their final checks and took their seats. Mike moved as close as he could to Pete, taking both his hands in his. He kept talking to Pete to take his mind off the plane taking off. Micky and Davy were quiet too.

Once they were in the air, Mrs. Straus took out some knitting. It looked like something for Dylan, a little blue cardigan sweater. Micky looked over at her.

“Hey, Davy, Pete’s gran’s knitting you a new set of clothes! Just your size, too—could she do some pants to match and a little woollen hat? You’d look so sweet.” He ruffled Davy’s hair and laughed. A stewardess appeared at their side and smiled down at Davy.

“I was just wondering if you’d like to visit the cockpit, young man? We always let children flying first class have a visit. We do have some children’s activity sets, but I think they may be a bit young for you…we have some comics I could bring for you? Just press the button if you need anything.”

“Can I come and have a look at the cockpit too? I’m interested in seeing what things look like, and I’ll make sure he behaves,” Micky asked the stewardess.

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Are you both brothers? Going to New York for a holiday? I forgot to ask: would you like a child’s meal or an adult’s?”

Davy wasn’t looking very happy.

“Ha-ha! She thinks you’re still a kid, Davy-boy. Those youthful looks don’t always work out for you. I’ve probably got a better chance with her.” Micky laughed.

Mike stood and looked down at both of them. “I thought you were gonna be quiet? I’m sure we can ask the staff if one of you can move to one of those empty seats over there, or I’ll swap with one of you. Pete’s asleep so I don’t mind moving.”

Mrs Straus looked over at the three of them. “Mike, sit and relax, let them enjoy the flight. I’ll keep an eye on them for you.” She took two bars of chocolate out of her purse and passed them to Micky.

Micky took his glasses out of his pocket and a book out of his bag and started to read. Davy got out his magazines, both eating their chocolate in silence.

“I’ve got plenty of candy and chocolate in my purse. It always worked when I flew with the grandchildren in the past—even though they became frequent flyers, they got bored very easily. I looked after them while their parents had some time on their own.”

“You traveled a lot? On vacations?” Mike asked.

“Yes, I always went along on family vacations. We’ve visited Central and South America and other states, and also England and Canada where the family have a vacation home. They lived there for a while, when Peter’s dad taught at a university there. So I use this airline a lot and they always look after me.”

“I’ve not really traveled too much—the odd flight home to see my mom and family in Texas. I drove to LA when I moved out here, I don’t really see my mom as I much as I’d like to.”

“That’s why we have phones, Michael. I’m sure she’s always there for you when you need her. She seems to have brought you up very well. You’re a good, sensible young man.” She took Mike’s hand “You make Peter happy, and his happiness is all I want. You’ve changed him for the better. He’s getting more confident. Just make sure you look after him for me, and please call me Catherine.”

“Okay, Mrs.…sorry, Catherine. I promise I’ll always look out for him. He’s changed me for the better too, I think. He calms my temper and makes me happier than I’ve ever been. He helps me out with Davy and Micky, who can be a handful at times. I worry about all three of them, I guess.”

“You need to let them learn from their mistakes. Peter, too. He’s smart and intelligent, but is easily led, giving in to other people when he needs to learn to say no. Promise me that, Michael. Oh, get in your seat and wake Peter—they’re about to serve up lunch.”

They all ate their lunch, and the stewardess came around after with wine. Micky and Davy chose soda instead as Mike was watching them. After the stewardesses had cleared up, the young blonde one came to accompany Davy and Micky on the visit to the cockpit. While Micky was quiet, paying attention to the crew, Davy tried his charm on the stewardess, and she was soon batting her eyelashes at him. He was glad this one didn’t see him as a child.

After the visit, they returned and settled down for the rest of the flight, restarting their reading. Mike enjoyed the peace. Pete was again asleep at his side, resting his head on Mike’s shoulder.

Davy whispered to Micky, “Well I got the blonde’s phone number. She’s from LA too, so I just need to call her on our return to arrange a date.”

“Hey, don’t forget about the east coast girls in the Hamptons. Mrs. Straus says the house is on the beach, so we can be down there at every chance we can, checking out the views… And they should be rich classy chicks too—it’s expensive to vacation in the Hamptons. Movie stars have homes here.”

“True, Mick. They might not be used to guys like us. We’ll lay on the charm, tell them we’re musicians who play lots of clubs on the Strip—it’s not actually lying—and each have a summer fling or two.”

“We’re both young and single, so why not? And the drinking age limit in New York is eighteen, so I hope there’s some nightlife in the area. A month here’s gonna be cool,” Micky said.

“I’m sure those two will appreciate some alone time too, so we should have no problems escaping now and then. We just don’t to tell Mike what we’re doing, agree?” Micky nodded to Davy.

Mike must have fallen asleep, because he was woken by Mrs. Straus explaining that they needed to fasten their seatbelts as they were going to be landing in the next few minutes. Micky and Davy were awake already, so Mike woke up Pete and held his hand as they prepared to land.

The passengers from the first-class section disembarked first. It was a little colder in New York. They eventually got to baggage reclaim, got their luggage, and went outside the terminal to wait for their cars. Mrs Straus had booked a separate car to take her to her apartment. Another car turned up for the guys. The drivers loaded their luggage into the trunks.

“Here are the keys for the house, Michael, and some money so you can get some groceries in. My husband’s younger sister, Rosa, lives nearby with her daughter. She was going to stop by sometime this morning to leave out fresh sheets and pillows for you. Here’s her phone number. Peter knows my apartment number—just call me or her if there’s anything you need. I’ll come by and see you when I get the chance. It’s about an eighty-mile drive to Southampton Beach.”

They all got in the car, the driver informing them that it could be up to a two-hour journey, depending on the traffic. He told them the car was stocked with drinks and snacks and to just help themselves to anything they wanted, and to let him know if they wanted a restroom stop.

Mike asked the driver to look for a grocery store, thinking they’d need some supplies for the morning, definitely milk, tea, and coffee. He’d need his morning coffee. About forty-five minutes later, the car pulled up at a store, where Mike got a few items.

They all settled down for the rest of the journey, all of them except Pete having a few beers each. They filled up on chips and some of the other snacks. Mike decided to help himself to a whiskey too. They could see the beach and sea on the drive.

Just over an hour later, the car came to a stop, and the driver informed them that they were now at the house. He got their luggage out of the trunk, asking if they’d like it taking inside. Mike said they could manage that themselves.

As the car pulled away, they stood looking at the house in front of them in amazement.

“Pete, babe,” Mike said. “I thought you said the house was about the same size as the pad? This is like a palace compared to that…are we at the right place?”

“Sorry, I must have got confused. I was thinking of the Straus holiday home, on my grandad’s side. This is the McGuire house—Gran’s side of the family. The Straus house is just down the road. Gran and Grandad met around here during a summer vacation. We’d spend family vacations at whichever house was available. This is the bigger house.”

“Come on, guys, is someone gonna unlock the door and let us in?” Davy asked. “Mick and I wanna go check out the bedroom options.”

“Mike, do Davy and I have to share like we do in the pad?” Micky asked as Mike unlocked the door, the younger two going in, dropping down their cases and running upstairs.

Mike shut and locked the door behind them, and he and Pete left their luggage near the stairs, heading off to find their younger bandmates.

“You know, Pete, what I said about regretting saying yes to this? I’m beginning to have some doubts already…I think those two are gonna drive us mad this summer.”


	2. Chapter 2

Pete and Mike heard shouting and doors being banged when they reached the top of the stairs: Micky and Davy were checking out the bedrooms.

“Hey, Davy, how about you and me in this one? It’s got bunk beds! I’ll have the top one and you can be underneath me. There’s a spare single bed too. Come on, Davy, how about it?”

“No way, Micky, I’m not sleeping in a bunk bed, especially with you, you noisy bugger, on a bed above me. I’d get no sleep. There’s bound to be some better rooms. Bunk beds are for kids.”

“That was mine and my brothers’ room when we stayed as kids, Micky. I had the separate single bed. I could never have the top bunk with my sleepwalking. There’s five more bedrooms. I’ll show you one I think you’ll like, Michael,” Pete said opening a door to a huge bedroom with a bigger than king-sized bed—it even had a couch and a television.

“Look at the bathroom too. It’s nearly as big—a walk-in shower big enough for two, and a big round Jacuzzi bath. It’s the biggest bedroom.”

Mike smiled back at him, showing his approval of everything.

Micky popped his head around the door then entered the room. “Wow, this room’s like a hotel suite! Are any of the other rooms like this, Pete? Show us the others.”

Pete showed them two more double bedrooms with en suites, a smaller double, a twin room and then the bedroom Micky had already looked at. There was also two more family bathrooms, one with only a bath and the other smaller with a shower.

“Well it looks like you two have a good choice of rooms. You can share like back home or have a room each,” Mike said. “But me and Pete are having the biggest bedroom. It’s his family’s house.”

Davy pulled Micky over to one of the double rooms. “Why don’t we have a double room with an en suite each? Better if we get together with any chicks, and they’re a bit farther away from the master bedroom suite, so they won’t hear if we sneak a bird back for the night.” He winked at Micky.

“Aah…got it now, Davy. Good idea,” he whispered to him. “Mike, Pete, is it okay if we have the other double rooms with en suites? I could do with a break from Davy’s snoring.”

“Okay, but you better keep your rooms tidy, otherwise you’ll be back in the twin room, sharing like at home. Can you manage that, Mick?” Mike looked at him.

“Hey, Mike, that’s not fair on me. I keep my half of the room tidy, and at home I didn’t really get much choice in sharing a room with him. Pete was so much tidier and quiet too. Why should I be punished because he’s happy living in a mess? You shared with him; you know what he’s like.”

“Okay, Davy, I get it. You can each have your own room, but I’m keeping my eye on you. Micky, remember this isn’t our house. We’re guests of Mrs. Straus, helping her out.”

“Look, Mike, we’ve got a walk-in closet, and out here we’ve even got our own balcony with a great view of the beach and the Atlantic Ocean. Come on, let me show you downstairs. Micky, Davy are you coming to check out the rest of the house?” Peter said.

Downstairs, there was a huge open-plan living area with a huge color television and a few couches and chairs, which led to a big modern kitchen with all the latest appliances. Peter showed them a study or library-type room and a music room with a baby grand piano, a few guitars and a banjo.

“Grandad played the guitar and banjo—my banjo used to be his. I guess I got into music because of him, even though he died when I was just two. The piano was Gran’s. She and Mom used to play a little. There’s a juke box as well but it’s hidden behind these doors so it doesn’t look out of place.”

“Where have the others got to?” Mike noticed some open doors in the living room, so they went to look outside, soon finding Micky and Davy.

“Look at this, Mike, a swimming pool and hot tub, barbecue grill… This place is cool and what a view of the beach and sea! It’s gonna be good staying here,” Micky said.

Davy was busy watching some girls playing volleyball on the beach. “It’s like the perfect house, and the perfect location. I think we’ll have a good summer here, Micky.” Davy winked at him.

“There’s a mud room, with a shower and john just over there too.” Pete pointed.

“Remember, guys, we’re here to do some painting and decorating too. It’s not all gonna be fun—we’ve promised Mrs. Straus we’ll do a job for her. Pete, have you any idea what work she wants doing? The house looks fine as it is. We could ring her in the morning, I guess.”

“Oh, I better show you the garage and the car. Follow me.” He led Mike through a door in the living room. “There you go, a 1963 Buick Riviera. You like it?” Pete could tell the answer was yes from the big smile on Mike’s face.

“There’s also a washer and dryer in here too, so no need for launderette visits. We need to keep Micky away from the tool cupboards. The keys for them are in the kitchen, and there’s one more room just off the kitchen that Gran calls her own personal room. It’s her hobbies room—sewing, needlework, knitting and painting, and it has a good view of the beach too. That’s everything apart from a cloakroom near the front door. Well, what do you think Mike.?”

“It sure is a nice big house, and a lot bigger than I thought it would be. We’re gonna have a good break, I think. Is there much to do in this area, apart from the beach?”

“There’s a few movie theatres in Sag Habor, which isn’t too far away, a few local bars and restaurants… I’m sure things might have changed—it’s been a few years since I was here last. Mostly we stayed here as teenagers and spent most of the time in the pool or on the beach.”

“Doesn’t sound too bad. I’m gonna check if there’s anything we can make a meal out of in the kitchen and then unpack. You coming with me?”

They walked into the kitchen. “Forgot about this door here—it leads to the basement. There used to be a wine cellar down there too. We were never allowed near it, but there may still be some wine down there…Gran does like a drink or two.”

“You had quite a childhood, didn’t you? It’d be nice to see your old family home where you grew up.”

“There were quite a few homes. We moved around a lot. I guess the house in Canada and the farmhouse in Connecticut I remember more. We settled in the farmhouse when I was nine. That was our last move as a family. You’ll have to take me to visit Texas someday too.”

They found the cupboards and ice box were quite full, plus there was a well-stocked freezer and a note telling them to help themselves to anything they wanted. They’d be okay for a while, Mike thought.

They both went upstairs to start unpacking and check up on the others. They hadn’t even made a start, their cases still on their beds. Mike and Pete went to their bedroom. Going out to the balcony, they could see Micky and Davy in the pool.

“If you want to go and make a start on dinner, I can unpack for both of us. I like the view from the bed. With the balcony doors open, you can see the ocean when you wake up. Come see!”

Mike sat on the bed next to Pete. “It’s a huge bed, comfy too…wanna check out the shower? You said it was big enough for two.” Mike leaned over and kissed Pete. Starting softy, he soon had Pete’s lips open and was caressing the roof of his mouth with his tongue.

He reached down to Pete’s crotch, feeling his hardness. “Ooh, you’re as ready for this as I am. Let me get you out of those clothes,” he said, starting to undo Pete’s shirt buttons.

It wasn’t long before they were both naked and in the shower together, both kissing passionately until they needed to stop and catch their breath. Mike looked at Pete and stroked his face. “I love you so much. You know that, don’t you. You just flutter those eyelashes at me, and I do anything you want.”

“Mmm…I know, and I love you too.” Pete got down on his knees in front of Mike. “How can I please you too, so you know how much I love you?” Pete looked up at him, grinning.

“I’m sure you can think of something, babe…how about using those gorgeous lips of yours on me, let me fuck your mouth? You ready to please me?”

Pete nodded up at him, and took Mike’s full length in one move. He licked up and down the shaft, taking the tip in his mouth and sucking deep again. He held on to Mike’s thighs with one hand, caressing his full sac with the other. He licked up the precum that this was causing. Mike leaned back against the wall, not taking his eyes off Pete and what he was doing to him. Pete was getting better at taking his full cock and this made Mike very happy.

“Pete, babe, I’m not gonna last much longer. You’re so good, so fucking gorgeous and all mine. You have no idea what you do to me. I never want to be away from you ever.” Mike had been in relationships before, but Pete was the only one who sensed his every need and could satisfy them. He’d found his perfect match, like they were made for each other.

Pete took Mike’s cock deep down his throat, sucking in his cheeks, and Mike soon spilled pulse after pulse of his cum, Pete swallowing every bit, not releasing Mike until his cock was totally spent.

“Peter, that was… There are no words. I’m speechless. Every time you get better. Promise you’ll never leave me.” He sank down to Pete’s level and they both sat under the shower spray.

“Never, Michael. You’re all I ever wanted, everything I wished for. I promise I’m going nowhere. Well, not without you beside me. I waited long enough to be with you. I’ve wanted this since I met you.”

Mike pulled him up as he stood. He started soaping Pete, as he loved to do, Pete responding the same. Mike washed Pete’s hair, loving the moans Pete made as Mike rubbed the shampoo into his scalp. They dried each other off, dressed and went downstairs.

“I bet those two are hungry by now. It sounds like they’re still in the pool. What do you want to eat, babe? I could make you an omelette—there’s some cheese, tomato, onion and mushrooms.”

“That sounds fine. There’s ham, too, if you want one, or how about grilled cheese sandwiches? I think I saw some hot sauce that you like. I’ll shout to Davy and Micky, see what they want.”

The others came into the kitchen, still in their swimwear. Mike had started on the grilled sandwiches which the others were happy to have as well. They found Cokes in the ice box, and went to eat on the back patio. Mike and Pete cuddled up together on a lounger to watch the sunset while the others went to unpack.

Micky and Davy’s bedrooms were next to each other. Micky felt odd being in a room on his own. He’d shared for so long, with his sister, friends, Mike, then Davy—he liked having someone nearby to have late night chats with when he couldn’t sleep. This room felt too quiet.

Whereas Davy was enjoying the silence he had in his room, Micky could talk for hours. He got excitable at times and kept him awake. Davy walked over to Micky’s room.

“Hey, Micky, one advantage: neither of us has to crash on the couch if we bring a chick back for the night, and this will impress them more than the pad. We need to check out the area tomorrow—we saw the volleyball game area, and I think we passed a sports club.”

“Okay, Davy, but we just need to be quiet if we bring anyone back…our rooms are next to each other, but at least not near Mike and Petes, and they’ll probably be too busy to hear us.”

“Come on, let’s go down and see what’s on TV. They have a different network over here. You wanna go see if the others want to join us? There might be a movie on. I’m sure I saw some popcorn. We could have a late-night movie night. I’ll grab a few sodas and chips.”

Micky followed Davy to the kitchen, both looking in the cupboards, ice box and freezer. “There’s beers, dips, ooh and ice cream too. We gotta have ice cream while watching a movie.”

Micky shouted to them and Pete and Mike came inside, shutting the patio doors behind them.

“You watch TV with the others, Mike. I’m gonna call Annie, let her know we got here okay, and see how they all are. There’s the three-hour time difference, so it’s not too late back home.”

Pete went off to the study to call so he could talk without disturbing the others. Annie picked up after a few rings.

“Hey, Annie. We’re all here and settled in. The others are just watching TV. How are things with you and the twins? Is Coco there with you?” he asked.

“Everything’s fine. Yes, she got here a few hours after you left. The twins are good. I think they’re missing the four of you. It seems too quiet here without all of you. I started on the laundry. Do they all like the house, and have you told Davy and Mike what’s down the road?”

“Yes, they all like the house, and no, I haven’t said anything to them. Let them see for themselves. They’ve got their own rooms and been in the pool already. It’s nice to be back here. It’s been a while since I last visited. We’re not sure what Gran wants doing yet—gonna call her in the morning.”

“Have you and Mike got the huge master suite with that huge custom-made bed and the amazing view? I’m so jealous. I’d love to be there with you. Christine called. She’ll be back around mid-afternoon. Gran called too and said it was a good flight and you all enjoyed the first-class treatment.”

“Yeah, we’ve got that room. Micky saw the bunk beds first, but Davy talked him out of the idea. Aunt Rosa’s coming over tomorrow. Wonder what she’ll think of the others, and I wonder if she’s got Maria and Ginny staying over for the summer. I’ll mention that to Mike later.”

“Oh my god, yeah. Those two are boy mad—they’ll be all over Micky and Davy the minute they set their first glance on them. They won’t know what’s hit them. I’d definitely warn Mike about them.”

“Those two would probably enjoy being chased by two teenage blonde girls. Makes a change for it to be the other way around.” Pete laughed.

“We got a letter from Nick. Gran’s gonna get him to call you to tell you his news. I don’t want to spoil it, so let him tell you himself. It’s good though. Things are starting to go right for us for once.”

Pete turned around as he heard the door open. Mike walked in and came up behind him. Wrapping his arms around his shoulders, he leaned down to give Pete a brief kiss. He started kissing and nuzzling into his neck. He bent down and one hand went straight to Pete’s groin, trying to unzip his pants.

“Mike’s here now. He says hello,” Pete told Annie with a huge grin, enjoying what Mike was doing to him. “Give the twins a big hug from their Uncle Peter from me, ooh, and Uncle Michael too. I’m gonna hang up soon—promise I’ll call you back soon…bye…hmmm.”

“Bye, Peter. Coco says tell Micky he better behave.” Pete was only just listening as Mike had pulled him in closer, kissing him strongly. Pete was glad he was sitting down as he felt his legs would have given way.

“Peter…are you still there? Never mind. I can hear you’re busy. Talk to you soon. Bye.”

Pete broke free for a minute. “Can we maybe take this elsewhere, Michael?” he said, looking over at the group wedding portrait of his parents and family. “It feels like we’re being watched.”

Mike looked up, seeing the photo. “Okay, you wanna head up to bed now, babe?” He started kissing and nibbling Pete’s neck again. He got Pete to stand, leading him to the door.

“What’s got you so horny? What kind of film were you three watching, dare I ask?”

“Just a horror flick. I had to come and find you when the teenagers started making out in the closet, hiding from the ax-man. Why do they hide? The bad guy always finds them. I think the booze had an effect too. C’mon, please, babe. Let’s go upstairs. I’ll carry you up there if I have to.” He bent down to try pick Pete up, giving him the smile that Pete could never resist.

“Hey, you don’t need to do that. I think I can manage to walk by myself. Even though you’ve made me a little weak in the knees.”

They both ran upstairs quickly. Mike briefly paused and shouted down to the others.

“Night, guys. Listen, me and Pete are gonna be busy for a while in our room…see you both in the morning.”

Davy looked over at Micky. “See? I told you rooms well away from those two were a good idea. They’d keep us awake every night.” They settled back down to finish watching the movie.


	3. Chapter 3

Mike awoke the next morning, his head heavy and pounding. How much did he drink yesterday? He looked to his side, finding Peter next to him naked and asleep, his hair matted and messy. Mike ached all over. He imagined Pete would be feeling the same or maybe worse—things had gotten…interestingly rough in bed last night. He hoped not too rough, but right now Pete looked happy. He was smiling, Mike stroked his cheek as he looked down at him.

He desperately craved and needed coffee, but that meant getting out of bed, and that required more energy than he had right now. He looked over at the clock at the nightstand. Just after ten thirty. He couldn’t remember what time they’d both fallen asleep. He decided to try to get out of bed—he had to have a cup of coffee to get his brain functioning normally again. He sat up, noticing his torso was sticky. He was sure they’d cleaned themselves up after the first time. Yeah, there was a washcloth on the floor. He hoped Pete could remember something, like how long they’d been—

There was a knock at the door, and Micky popped his head in. “Is it safe to come in?” He came in before Mike could answer, carrying two mugs, one tea, and coffee for Mike.

“Micky, babe, I’ve never been so pleased to see you.” Remembering he was still naked, Mike quickly covered himself with some of the bedsheet. “Coffee—you’re a lifesaver. Thanks.”

Micky sat in a chair near the bed. He noticed Pete was still asleep. “You wore him out again? I made your coffee black and strong—thought you’d need it like that. You seem a little hungover.”

Micky seemed quiet, which worried Mike. The coffee was starting to work and he felt a little more normal. Micky was staring at him. “Is something wrong, Mick? Did we disturb you last night? Sorry if things got a bit loud. I guess we got a bit carried away with each other.”

“Everything’s okay with me…is everything fine with you two?” Micky pointed to him and Pete. “We heard quite a bit of screaming and shouting from you both last night.”

“Don’t worry, Micky, we’re both good. Everything’s perfect. Couldn’t be better. We’d never do anything to hurt each other. You know that, don’t you? I think I did tire him out though. He’ll wake up soon, so let me get a shower and dressed and I’ll be down.” He gave Micky a big hug.

Micky left them alone, and Mike took a quick shower and got dressed. By the time he went back into the bedroom, Pete was awake and half sitting up in bed. He grinned at Mike. “Morning, Michael.”

“Morning, babe. You okay? Sorry if things got a little out of hand last night. I blame the booze.” He passed a washcloth to Peter, looking at his chest. “You gonna get cleaned up and come downstairs?”

“No, nothing got out of hand. It was kind of fun. I like it when you dominate and tell me what to do. I could tell you enjoyed it too—we’ll have to do it more often.” He winked at Mike. “I’ll get up. I’m a little sore, but it was worth it.” He got out of bed and went into the bathroom. “You go down. I won’t be long.”

“Okay. There’s a cup of tea that Micky brought up for you. I’ll see you downstairs. Remember your aunt’s coming around soon. Do you want me to call your gran about what she wants us to do?”

“No, I’ve remembered. And yeah you call her—the phone number’s by the phone.”

After Mike had called Pete’s gran, he went into the kitchen. As he walked in, Davy glared at him and looked at his watch, then at Micky.

“What time do you call this, Michael? Luckily, I’ve managed to save some breakfast for you, and stopped someone else eating it all.” He looked again at Micky.

“Hey, Davy, I’m a growing boy. I helped too. I made the coffee and toast. Mike, Davy’s started turning into a smaller version of you—he’s getting bossy all of a sudden, telling me what to do.”

“Sorry for sleeping in, Davy. I think I had a bit too much to drink, but good to hear you’re keeping Micky on his toes. Thanks for the breakfast. Pete shouldn’t be too much longer.” He looked in the oven and found two plated breakfasts for them. He was getting them both out as Pete walked in.

“Pete, Davy and Micky made us breakfast. I’d eat it while it’s still warm. We’ll wash, dry, and shelve, guys.” Mike looked over at the other two.

“No need to wash or dry, Mike. Look there’s a dishwasher here and plenty of plates and silverware in the cupboards and drawers. Their coffee machine’s much quicker. If only we could have some better things, I’d do much more around the house.”

“Like what, Micky? We just got a dishwasher, washer and dryer, and I’ve not seen you attempt to use any of them yet, but you do go in the freezer for food. I’ll look into a new toaster and coffee machine when we get home, okay, if that’ll make you happy.”

Micky nodded yes enthusiastically.

When he finished and loaded the dishwasher, he told the others what work Mrs. Straus wanted doing. “The twin-bedded room, and the one with the bunk beds, need painting and some neutral color wallpaper putting up. And the same in her craft room, which she says is a little cluttered. Apparently, the paint and wallpaper are all ready in the garage for us.”

“When are you planning to start this work? Can’t we have a few days to settle in? You know, relax and enjoy ourselves, go to the beach, spend more time in the pool and hot tub? See what’s around town? It’ll do you some good to relax too,” Davy said.

Mike smiled at Pete. “Okay, then. It’s Friday today, and we start decorating on Monday. How does that sound to both of you?”

The other two looked happy.

“There’s a couple of pushbikes in the garage. Nick and I used to ride them around here when we were teenagers. They might not be too small if you wanna use them,” Pete said to them.

Micky dragged Davy off to the garage. He wanted to check out the car as well, hoping Mike might let him drive it sometime. “Wow, cool car. Will I get chance to take her for a ride?”

Meanwhile Davy was looking at the bikes. “They’re okay, Mick, but not really chick-friendly…the car will definitely attract more birds, so best get working on Mike. Or get round Pete. Get them both in a good mood. We need to have some fun while were staying here.”

Mike and Pete came into the garage to look for the paint and wallpaper. “I’m sure you two can get around on the bikes, and I might think about you taking the car out, but only after you’ve both helped with the decorating, okay?”

“Thanks, Mike. I promise we’ll help, won’t we, Micky? You can rely on us.”

“Good. Well, you can help us move these things into the closet, then you can do what you want for the rest of the day.”

Micky and Davy grabbed some paint cans and helped them move the items. Then they both changed into their swim trunks and headed out to the pool.

“Pete, now we’re on our own, can I ask you something? Are you sure everything between us last night and this morning was fine? I don’t want you to do anything you’re unsure about.”

“Michael, it was okay. My ass hurts a little from the spanking you gave me. Yes, it hurts to sit down. We had a safe word, remember. You even suggested that, but I didn’t need to use it. I’d do it all again…maybe without you as drunk as you were—that’s the only thing I would change. I trust and love you.”

“Thanks for that. I love you too. I think it was drinking on the plane then in the car—yesterday sure was a long day.” He took Pete’s hands in his, leaned in, and kissed him. “You wanna go back upstairs while those two are out in the pool, while we can have some time on our own?”

Pete didn’t get chance to answer him before there was a knock on the front door. He looked at Mike and shrugged. “Sorry about that. It’s probably my Aunt Rosa—she said she’d drop by today.”

Pete answered the door and two women came into the living room with him. “Michael, this is my Aunt Rosa.” Mike shook the elder woman’s hand. “This is my Aunt Alicia.” Mike shook her hand too, saying hello to both of them.

“Micky and Davy are out in the pool. You can meet them soon. Where’re Maria and Ginny? I thought they might have come with you,” Peter asked the younger woman.

Rosa spoke first. “Hello, Michael, it’s very nice to meet you. So you’re one of Peter’s friends…are you all in the musical group together? And you’ve come from South California? I hope you’ll like it here.”

“Yes, ma’am, I’m in the Monkees with Pete, Micky, and Davy. I’m from Dallas, Texas originally. We all met and started the band in LA. And yes, thanks. The place seems great so far. We haven’t had much chance to explore the area and see things.”

“Well, Mother and I are happy to show you around anywhere you’d like. Things have changed a little since you were last here, Peter. Yes, your cousins are here for the summer. They’re currently having a tennis lesson at the sports center. They could maybe show you that—it’s where all the teenagers spend most of their time. They have basketball, baseball, a pool, volleyball, and lots more.”

“Micky and Davy would probably enjoy that. They’re more into sports, and Mike and I aren’t teenagers anymore…are the movie theatres, the bowling alley, and the diner still here?”

“Yes, Peter, they’re all still there, and there’s even a nearby indoor roller rink. Mother, come and sit down. Sorry about that. Wait until the girls get here—they’ll know a bit more what’s going off for younger people. How’s your family doing? We heard about Anne and the twins.”

“Annie’s fine. The twins, Summer and Dylan, are both doing well. They’re both happy, healthy babies. She’s living with us four and we all help her out,” Pete said.

“We’ve heard about what happened to the father. What a shame they won’t get to know him. Alicia and I haven’t mentioned to anyone that she’s with another girl—especially not to Maria and Ginny. They’re both at that impressionable age.”

“Do you have a problem with Annie being with Christine, Aunt Rosa? They’re very happy together, and they love each other. Does it bother you, people being with someone of the same gender?”

Pete looked over at Mike. “We’ll go make some coffee—would you both like a cup?”

Both women said yes, so Mike and Pete went to the kitchen. Pete sat down at the table.

“I’m sorry about that. What’s the problem with my family? They claim to be liberal about things but can’t accept anything out of the ordinary. Probably best not to tell them about us. It’s so unfair we have to hide our feelings with other people, and when we’re out.”

“It’s okay, Pete. I think my family back in Texas would be worse than yours. Things are totally different in the southern states.” He gave Pete a big hug. “Don’t worry. At least the people who matter to us accept us as a couple.”

Mike found a cake in a cupboard and added it to a tray to bring out with the coffee. They even used matching cups, something they could never do in the pad. The women were chatting in the living room when they returned, and Mike passed them both a coffee and sat down.

Alicia decided to speak before her mother. “We don’t have any problem with those kinds of relationships, but where we’re from, we just don’t see people like that. Maybe it’s a bit more common in California and New York, but we live in a small town, where everyone knows one another.”

“We’d rather none of you mention it to your cousins, if you don’t mind.” Rosa added. “They just know that Anne’s partner died on a tour of duty.”

“Okay, but I’m sure they’ll come across relationships like that in the future. Isn’t it best to be honest and truthful with children?” Mike said, seeing Pete was upset about this conversation.

“They’re teenagers, Aunt Rosa, Aunt Alicia. You can’t always keep hidden things you don’t want them to know about. People can fall in love with anyone, regardless of their gender.”

“Well I think it’s best to change the subject before they arrive. This cake is nice,” Rosa said.

They were interrupted by Micky and Davy coming indoors for some sodas. Mike shouted them over. “Guys, these ladies are Pete’s aunts, Rosa and Alicia. Ladies, these are our friends, Micky and Davy.”

Micky and Davy greeted them and got their sodas and went back outside. There was a knock at the door. Mike answered it to find two young girls waiting outside.

“Hi, I’m Ginny and this is Maria. Are our mom and gran here? And who might you be?” one asked as she looked him up and down with a big smile on her face, the other girl watching her.

“Yes, they’re here. Please go through to the living room. I’m Mike, a friend of your cousin, Pete. We’re in a band together in California. He’s in there with them.”

They both followed Mike. He could hear them whispering behind his back. “Hey, Pete!” shouted Ginny, giving him a hug. “We haven’t seen you in a few years. You’ve got taller and better-looking…shame we’re related!” She laughed.

“Aunt Catherine said you had more friends here too?” the other girl asked.

“Yeah, Micky and Davy. They’re outside in the pool. Go say hello to them, if you want?”

“Aunt Rosa and I are going home now, Peter. Girls, don’t be out too long—your father is coming up for the weekend remember.”

“Okay, Mom, we won’t be late. Well, Pete, you gonna introduce us to your other friends?” They went outside through the patio doors. “Can we have a soda each, please?”

Mike and Pete went to get some drinks, taking the cups and plates back to the kitchen.

“Will your cousins be safe alone with Davy and Micky? They’re just their type of girls, slim with blonde hair, pretty too. I’m not sure if I trust them. Davy’s probably working his charm already.”

Pete looked at him and laughed.

“What’s so funny, babe?”

“You don’t know those two girls. They’re boy mad. They’ll come on to anything in pants. I saw how they were looking at you…checking you out. Well, they can look, but no touching. Those two won’t know what’s hit them. They’ve definitely met their match.” Pete put some soda bottles on the patio table, then came back to the kitchen where Mike was shutting and starting the dishwasher.

Mike laughed. “You can trust me, babe. I only have eyes for you. Let Davy and Micky get a taste of being on the chased side for once, see if they can handle it. It could be funny, but knowing them, they’ll love it. Come over here and give me a kiss while we can.” He pulled Pete close to him.


	4. Chapter 4

Micky and Davy were messing around in the pool, and Davy just about to dunk Micky’s head underwater when he noticed two blonde girls over on the patio. He pulled Micky up, turning him around.

“Hey, look over there. Wonder who they are…shall we go say hello?” He saw Pete come out and put some sodas down for them.

“Didn’t Pete say there was a couple of female cousins staying in the other family house? I like the look of the taller one. I get first choice on her. The other’s all yours,” Micky said.

Pete went back in and the girls sat at the patio table, having their drinks. They looked over at the pool, noticing Davy and Micky.

“Well, Ginny, there’s two of us and three guys—what do we do? I wonder which one’s which out of those two? Mike’s cute but looks a little older than us, whereas Davy and Micky look about our age. I l like the look of the taller guy with the curly hair, and as the oldest, I should get first choice.”

“So I get the smaller guy then. Mike doesn’t look that much older, and age means he’s more experienced. He might treat us better. Don’t you think we should find out if any of them are single, for a start? We could always ask Pete about that,” Ginny said.

“We need a couple of friends. If we can get them to agree to a joint night out, get them all paired up… How about Rose and Julie from our sports club. They’re a little older and Julie has a car.”

“Okay, Maria, you ask them all to the movies and the diner tonight, and we’ll see who gets on with each guy better and decide from there. I suppose we should go talk to them—they’ve seen us.”

Davy and Micky walked over to the girls, Davy speaking first. “Hi, I’m Davy and my friend here is Micky. It’s nice to meet both of you. We’re staying here with Pete and our other friend Mike.”

Maria looked at Davy, then her gaze went to Micky. “We’re Peter’s cousins. I’m Maria and my sister is Virginia, or Ginny as everyone calls her. We’re staying with our mom and grandmother in a beach house just down the block. We don’t have a pool there. It’s a smaller place than this.”

“So are you also members of the music group Peter’s in back in California? We’d love to hear you play. We don’t get to see many bands where we live. It’s quiet and boring,” Ginny said.

“Yeah, I’m the drummer and singer. Davy’s percussion and sings too. We share most of the lead vocals on our songs. Mike plays guitar and Pete bass. We didn’t bring our instruments with us. But I think there’s a piano, guitar and banjo in the house, so we might be able to try a few songs, if you’d like.”

“That’s a shame. It’s my eighteenth birthday on Wednesday—you could have played at my party at our youths sports club. But you’ll have to come to the party and come see the club. There’s so much to do there, like tennis, baseball, basketball, volleyball, and they have a huge pool too,” Ginny said.

“How about the four of you come to the movies with us and a few girlfriends tonight? There’s a nearby movie theater, with a great diner next to it. What do you say?” Maria asked them.

Davy looked at Micky. “We’d love to come with you, but I’m not sure if Pete and Mike will want to go. They’d probably prefer to stay and have some time on their own. They both go to bed earlier than us.”

“They don’t go out much back at home either. They like their time together,” Micky said.

“No problem. So I guess it will just be us four. That’s fine. We need to go home for dinner—our Dad’s coming over for the weekend. He’ll be on the ferry now. We can use his car and pick you up about seven-thirty. I think the movie starts just after eight. Bye, and see you later,” Maria said.

Micky and Davy went inside. “Do you two mind if we go out tonight and see a movie with the girls, and to a diner afterwards? They offered to arrange friends to pair up with both of you, but we said you wouldn’t be interested in going,” Micky said.

“Wow that was fast—you’ve only just met them! Go on, go and enjoy yourselves, and no we wouldn’t have wanted to go, would we Pete?”

Pete shook his head to say no in reply to Mike.

“Thanks. We’ll even sort out dinner for us all too, won’t we, Mick? You two go and wait in the living room, and I’ll shout when the food’s ready. I’m gonna check what we have in the freezer.”

They all came together for dinner later before Micky and Davy went to get ready for their double date. They came down dressed casually in jeans and shirts.

There was soon a knock at the door, and Ginny and Maria let themselves in. “Are you two ready? We’ve got the car outside.” Maria asked. They had both changed into flowered print minidresses and flat pumps. Maria was again looking over at Mike, but only Peter seemed to notice.

“We’re both ready to go,” Davy said. “You both look very nice, don’t they, Micky?”

Ginny put her arm through Davy’s and started walking him to the front door.

“See you both later. Have fun and have you got a key, in case you’re back late?” Mike asked.

Micky held up a key to show him as he was about to go outside with Maria. “Yeah. Bye, guys, see you both later. I don’t think we’ll be that late. The movie starts early.”

They all got into the car and drove to the movie theater, parking up in the lot on the corner. They went in and Maria went and paid for all four of them while Ginny got popcorn and drinks.

“It’s our treat, guys. We asked you out. Girls where we’re from don’t expect guys to pay for everything! Let’s go through and find some good seats.”

Davy and Micky looked a little shocked when the girls sat in the back row, Maria taking Micky’s hand and pulling him in first.

The girls excused themselves to go the ladies’ restroom. When they’d gone, Davy turned to Micky. “I didn’t expect the back row on a first date! Chicks over here seem pretty forward and they’re two pretty-looking chicks, don’t you think?”

“I guess. Maria seems very confident. Ginny seems to know what she wants too, not like the chicks we normally date back home. I mean, they’re members of a sports club, they play tennis… We could see if they’ll take us to the club.”

“We can ask them at the diner. Paying for the movie and snacks too is a nice surprise. They probably get an allowance from their parents. Shush. They’re coming back.”

The girls sat and Maria wasted no time in taking Micky’s hand again as the movie started. About twenty minutes into the movie, she moved closer to Micky and went to kiss him. Micky, being a typical young man, responded. Ginny and Davy noticed and looked away.

Ginny looked at Davy, smiled, put her arm around his shoulder and got closer to him. “Do you wanna kiss me?” she asked, at which Davy nodded, and she started kissing him. Neither couple paid that much attention to the movie. They spent most of the time making out in the dark. They decided to head off to the nearby diner when the movie ended.

The diner around the corner was decorated in a fifties style with movie and music posters all over. It even had a cool jukebox, an older and better version of the one back in the pad. They found somewhere to sit easily, as the diner wasn’t very busy. A waitress came to take their order.

“Do you guys want anything to eat?” Maria asked. “Ginny and I are just gonna have fries and strawberry milkshakes—would you like the same?”

Micky had the same and Davy had a cheeseburger and milkshake. Again the girls offered to pay. “Don’t worry,” Ginny said. “Our dad gave us some cash for tonight. He thinks we’re out with two of our girlfriends though. The milkshakes here are good—they make them with ice cream.”

Ginny started asking them a few questions. “So, Micky, you’re from LA and Davy’s from England? Two places I’d love to visit. And Mike’s from Texas. I bet it’s hot there. LA too. And is England like here?”

“Back in Manchester, we get a lot of rain and dull weather. It can get warm in the summer, and we get snow in the winter, but probably not as much as you have here,” Davy said.

“So is Mike single? He’s a tall, good-looking guy…we got girlfriends here who’d be fighting over him. We need to take all four of you to our sports club and you can meet our friends. We can probably find a girl for Peter too. We should have asked—are you two single?” Maria came straight out with it.

“Me and Micky are single at the moment, but I don’t think Mike or Pete will be interested in your friends—they’ve got partners and it’s serious.”

“That’s a shame, but never mind. I’ve got an on-off boyfriend back home, but what happens here in during the summers in the Hamptons stays here. A brief holiday romance doesn’t hurt anyone—you’re only young once. Have fun while you can.” Maria laughed.

Micky stood. “I’ll go see what music’s on the juke box, put a few songs on. Davy, come have a look with me.”

Davy got up and followed, smiling at Micky. “We’re definitely in with these two, Mick! Birds out here sure aren’t shy, and Maria and Ginny seem perfect for us! What do you think? Maria seems to like you. I like chicks who are upfront with you, who let you know what they want.”

“She seems to ask about Mike a bit too. I think she likes him more, maybe. She’s certainly confident in what she wants. I’m gonna warn him when we get back to the house. I think it’s best not to say anything to them about him and Pete being together. Let’s get back to them,” Micky said.

They got back to the table as the waitress was bringing out their order. They sat next to the girls again and started eating their food.

After they’d finished, Maria drove the guys back to the beach house. “Well that was fun, guys. You gonna invite us in for a drink?” she asked a shocked-looking Micky.

Micky looked over to Davy, who was in the back seat. “Maybe not tonight…we’re not sure what the others will be up to. We could maybe meet up tomorrow sometime if you want?” he said.

“If that’s what you want. We did tell our folks we might be sleeping over at our girlfriend’s house, but maybe not after the first night…Peter could tell Mom and Dad too. We’ll call around tomorrow morning. What time’s best for you?” Maria asked.

“How about ten-thirty? We’re not really early risers. You could take us to see the sports club? It sounds good. Will we need anything?” Davy asked.

“Nothing, unless you want to use the pool, but this one here’s better—it’s more private—but there’s lots of equipment available to use there for other sports. We can sign you in as our guests and ask Mike and Peter if they want to come as well. We’ll see you tomorrow. Bye,” Ginny said.

The guys went into the house and looked to see if Mike and Pete were still up. They weren’t downstairs and it wasn’t too late. They went into the living room.

Upstairs, cuddled up in bed watching TV, Pete and Mike heard the front door open. “I better go downstairs and see if everything went okay.” Mike sat up and put on some pants. “Won’t be long.”

He gave Pete a quick kiss and headed downstairs into the living room. “You’re both home quite early. Didn’t it go too well?”

“It all went good. We’re seeing the girls tomorrow to go to the sports club. They’re definitely keen, not like the chicks I date back in LA. Maria surprised me a little,” Micky said. “I think she likes you.”

“Yeah she asked if you were single.” Davy laughed. “Don’t worry, Mike, we told her you weren’t single.”

“You didn’t tell them about me and Pete? His aunts don’t know anything about us, and they don’t want the girls finding about Annie and Christine, so I doubt they’d be happy if they find out about us. I think Pete wants to tell his aunts, but he isn’t sure how they’ll take it. They got him a little worked up yesterday.”

“We didn’t say a word, Mike, just that you both had partners. That’s the truth without going into too much detail. I guess Pete’s parents don’t want everyone knowing about you,” Micky said.

“Maybe just his dad. Mrs. Straus and his mom seem fine with us. I can’t say much as I haven’t told my mom or family about us. I worry how they’ll take it. Some people from the south don’t like anything or anyone who’s different. They can be set in their ways.”

“Maria scares me a little how upfront she is. She’s like a female version of Davy—she was making out with me in the back row within minutes, but I’ll see how things go tomorrow,” Micky said.

“Ginny’s not quite as forward, but I like a bird who knows what she wants. I think they just want some fun over the summer, and I’m happy to give her what she wants,” Davy said.

“Give them a few days and they may calm down, Mick. Listen, I’m gonna go back upstairs and hope Pete’s not fallen asleep waiting for me. See you both in the morning. Good night.”

“Night, Mike. We might watch TV for a while. See you tomorrow,” Micky said.

Mike went upstairs and into the bedroom. Pete wasn’t in the bed anymore, so Mike checked the outside balcony. That was empty, so it just left the bathroom. He tried in there, to find Pete lying in the bath. Pete quickly dived under the water, trying to hide.

Mike took off his pants and joined him in the bath, pulling Pete up from under the water. “I saw you. You didn’t need to try and hide. Come over here.” He pulled Pete on top of him, as close as he could. Pete turned to face him, cupping his face and kissing him.

“Did my cousins scare the guys? Maria no doubt scared Micky. I saw her checking him out.”

“Well, they both reckon that Micky’s her second choice and that she seems keen on me. She asked them if I was single.” Mike winked and laughed.

“Wait until I see her. She needs to keep herself away from my man. You’d better not be tempted by her attention, Michael. I can give you so much more than she can ever offer you.”

“Are you getting jealous, babe? I can’t help being so handsome and irresistible to women, and she’s a chick who knows what she wants—she just wants some fun. Looks like Ginny and Davy have hit it off. They’re both coming around in the morning.”

“You wanna go sleep in another room tonight? There are three spare bedrooms.” Pete looked up at him and smiled. “It’s okay. I’m joking. I trust you, Michael. I know what my cousins are like, and I can’t help getting jealous—when you look like you do, chicks are bound to find you sexy and attractive and want you, just like I do. I love you. You’re my everything.”

“I know, and I feel the same about you, and you’re just as attractive to chicks. More so than me, with that blond hair, that ass, and that cheeky dimple. You’re gorgeous. Come on, let’s get outta this bath and take this into the bedroom, where I can show you exactly how much I love and adore you.”


	5. Chapter 5

Pete awoke. He sat up slowly in bed and looked out through the open balcony doors. They hadn’t brought the blankets in from last night when they’d made love under the stars, so much slower and more tender than the night before. Pete loved Mike’s gentle side just as much as he loved when they were rough together. He knew Mike wouldn’t ever take things too far. He trusted him in every way.

Mike was still sleeping beside him. Even though Pete was so tempted to wake him for a repeat performance, he got out of bed and collected the blankets, putting them in a chair. It was quite early and the sun was starting to rise, so he put on his robe and went outside to watch it. He lay out on a lounger, eventually falling asleep again.

Mike stirred, stretching his arm out to Pete’s side of the bed. Disappointed to find it empty, he slowly got out of bed, looking for his pants and remembering he’d left them in the bathroom. He used the john, got changed and went to find his missing partner. He didn’t need to look far, finding him asleep outside. He crouched down next to him, watching him sleep. Pete must have sensed he was being watched, because he started to wake up, looking up into Mike’s brown eyes.

“You been here long, babe? I don’t like waking up without you next to me—you should wake me up.”

“I came out to watch the sunrise, and must have dropped back off. I didn’t wake you because you looked so peaceful and it was best to let you rest. We’ve had a busy few nights, remember.”

“How could I forget? And you came back to the lounger again… Last night was so good, the sound of the sea and wind out here while we made love in the moonlight. I love sleeping with you. Are you hungry? Because I’m starving. Fancy breakfast in bed? I’ll go and make some pancakes, and you go back to bed. I’ll be up soon with tea for you as well.”

“You’re too good to me. What did I do to deserve you and this treatment?” Peter stood, put his arms around Mike and kissed him deeply. “I’ll be waiting for you. Don’t be too long.”

Mike went downstairs to the kitchen and started the coffee machine, and kettle for Pete’s tea. He took out the ingredients for pancakes, set a tray up with silverware and found some maple syrup and cream. He was going to spoil Pete. Just as he was plating up the pancakes, there was a knock at the front door and he answered it, finding Maria there. He wished he was wearing more than just a pair of pants as he saw her taking every inch of him with a smile.

“Hello, Mike. I might be a bit early. Are Micky and Davy up yet? They’re supposed to be coming to the sports club with us. Do you want to come too?” She was staring straight at his chest.

“No, I think they’re both still in bed. I can go give them a shout for you? Is your sister with you?”

He was wondering what to do next. He’d promised Pete he wouldn’t be long, but this was awkward. He prayed that Micky or Davy would come down the stairs at any minute.

“Ginny’s meeting us at the club. She’s doing some chores for Gran right now. Are you gonna join us, Mike?” She started walking into the living room and he followed her.

“I’m not sure. I’ve got things to do around the house, and I’m not sure if Pete had any plans.”

“I was talking to Micky yesterday…he says you have a girlfriend back home? Is it serious? I hope you don’t mind me being forward. I find you really attractive and wondered if you’d be interested in having some fun this summer. You’re not like the boys I normally go out for. You seem experienced, and I’d like to get to know you better.” She took Mike’s hand.

“I’m very sorry, Maria, but I’ll have to politely say no to your offer, as flattering as it might be. I’m in a serious relationship with someone and would never cheat on them.”

She still held his hand, looking up at him. “How would they know, if they’re back in LA? But I understand and it’s nice to meet a guy who isn’t tempted to stray when a girl’s making it clear she wants him. Your girlfriend’s a lucky girl.” She let go of his hand and gave him a hug.

“You’re best off with Micky. He’s a great guy and he _is_ single, and more your age too, like Davy and Ginny seem suited together. Now he’s always up for some fun.”

“He’s a little short for me. I prefer tall guys. Now how about Peter? Good to hear he’s finally got a girlfriend. I guess you’ve met her? Is she nice? He’s quite a sensitive soul and I’m glad he’s eventually found someone. We always thought he was like Annie, and I have no problem with what she is.”

“You mean, you know Annie is a lesbian, and it doesn’t bother you? Does Ginny know too?”

“Yeah, she knows. As long as Annie’s happy, does it matter who she’s with? But we thought Peter was well…, I don’t like to use the term _queer_ , but you know what I mean—into guys. But it looks like we were wrong all along. It’s good to know he’s found somebody who loves him.”

Mike started thinking of Pete, waiting upstairs in bed for him—the breakfast things set up on the tray in the kitchen would be getting cold by now. He needed to get away from Maria as soon as he could. He heard someone coming down the stairs and started to panic. Davy came into the living room, staring at both of them and how close they were stood next to each other. Mike was relieved it wasn’t Pete or Micky, but he noticed Davy’s raised-eyebrow look.

“Davy, can you keep Maria company? I just need to get something and I’ll go and tell Micky she’s here.” He headed off to the kitchen, sneaking out of another door and heading upstairs to give Micky a shout and knock on his door. He then went into his and Pete’s room, placing the tray on the bed.

“Sorry it took a while, but Maria turned up, and it took time to get away.” He sat on the bed next to Pete. “Davy’s with her now until Micky gets up.”

“Probably good that I didn’t come down there looking for you… Is there anything you need to tell me? You’re looking a little flushed, Michael, has she been flirting with you again?” Pete laughed. “Did she ask you out on a date, and you looking like you do, half-undressed, tempting her.”

“Yep, she kinda did, asked me if I wanted some fun with her. She said she found me attractive and liked me, but I turned her down, babe, telling her I was with someone and it’s serious and I’d never cheat on them. She said I had a lucky girlfriend.”

“She’s got good taste in men then. Least I don’t have to fight her for you—I think she’s tougher than me. We’d better eat this and go downstairs. No more time on our own until later.”

“She asked if we want to go to the sports club. The others are going. We could go for a while if you want, and we can sneak back to play some different games of our own, if I can tempt you… Also I better tell you: she and Ginny already know about Annie having a girlfriend.”

“What…how? Maybe we should tell them about us, if they’re fine about Annie, and it’ll stop Maria from constantly flirting with you. I’m so tempted to tell her to keep her eyes and hands off you.”

***

Downstairs Davy decided to quiz Maria as he thought he’d interrupted them at an awkward moment. “What’s going on between you and Mike? You both went quiet when I walked in.”

“Nothing. Nothing’s going on. You’ve probably gathered by now I dig him. He’s the perfect older guy, but he turned me down. I do like Micky too though. He’s cool and funny. I won’t mess him around. But you do know anything we have with you, me and Ginny…it’s just some fun over the summer, right?”

***

“No, maybe not right now,” Mike said while starting to get dressed. “I’m going back downstairs. I think I just heard Micky. We’ll clear up the breakfast things later. Get dressed and come down? We might as go with them.”

Downstairs, Micky, Davy and Maria were in the kitchen drinking either tea or coffee. Mike walked in and Davy stared at him again. “Everything okay, Mike?” he asked

“Sure. Why shouldn’t it be? I was talking to Pete upstairs, and we’re gonna come to the club with you for a while then maybe come back and start on moving furniture to be able to start painting.”

“It’s only down the block, so less than a ten-minute walk. As I said, Ginny’s meeting us there. The only thing you’ll need is swimwear if you’re gonna use the pool there. Maybe take a T-shirt and shorts. There’s changing rooms and showers too,” Maria said.

***

Not much later, they arrived at the sports club. Maria found Ginny waiting for them and the girls signed them in as guests and found them a map of all the facilities available there. The place was immaculate with its perfect manicured lawns, fountains and topiaries. They showed them where the male changing rooms and restrooms were located.

“Well, what do you want to do first? It’s even got its own private area of the beach, but only clothed sunbathing is allowed. They normally have a cook-out on the grill at lunch time, and there’s a bar. Only sodas, fruit juices, and cordials served there, though, but we have sneaked in a little gin and vodka to add to them—just put them in a few soda bottles.” Maria laughed.

They all changed and headed to play volleyball on the beach. The girls roped in two of their friends and decided to take the boys on. Luckily Maria and one of the other girls were quite tall and they managed to beat the boys, with Ginny and Maria distracting Davy and Micky a few times.

“Come on, tennis next.” Maria grabbed Micky’s hand, dragging off to a court, the others following. “You and I can take on Davy and Ginny—I’ll get some rackets and balls.”

“You’re really good,” Maria said to Micky. “Davy’s not doing bad either, but we gotta beat them. Ginny’s never beaten me yet.” She hit a ball that went way past Davy, and she high-fived Micky. They won the first two sets, and decided to have a break before starting the next.

Davy came back stronger and won the next, which made Maria and Micky more determined to win the others, which they eventually did by just a few games.

“Hey, Davy, I finally beat you at a sport. Must be my co-ordination as a drummer. Come on, I can smell food cooking on the beach—bet I get there before you.” He started running, racing Davy.

“Well, eating is the thing that you do best, Mick.” Davy laughed. I don’t know where you put it all.”

Micky, Davy and the girls helped themselves to the grill. Mike had a burger, but there wasn’t really much else apart from salad for Pete, so they decided to get changed and head home after having a few drinks. The others had a rest on loungers on the beach then joined a group of teenagers playing a game of beach baseball.

Mike and Pete got back to the house and, as they went into the living room, the phone rang. Mike answered it, passing it to Pete—it was his brother Nick. Mike went into the kitchen to make coffee and tea.

“Hi Nick, how’re things going? Annie told me you were gonna call when I spoke to her the other day. She said you had some news to tell me.”

“Yeah, Pete. How’s things with you, first? Things good between you and Mike? And how are you all enjoying Gran’s beach house? I could come see you, as you’re only a few hours away.”

“Why not? It doesn’t take too long on the ferry. Bring Claire too. There’s plenty of room, so stop for a while. Some of the others are out with Maria and Ginny, Aunt Alicia’s daughters.”

“Oh my god! Have those two changed at all? Maria flirted with my best friend when I last saw her, even though he had his girlfriend with him.” Nick laughed. “I’ll ask Claire if she wants to visit, and yeah, it’s good news: Claire and I have got engaged.”

“That’s brilliant! How did Mom and Dad take it? They should be happy that one of their sons is doing things the normal way, unlike me, who disappoints Dad.”

“Stop worrying what Dad thinks. Yeah, they took it well, but we want to get married and start a family—Claire’s sister just had a baby girl, and I think it’s made her decide what she wants. A bit like Mom did, having family young, then a career. And her Granddad’s not too well.”

“Are you happy with that, Nick? I know from living with Annie kids are a big commitment and she’s tired a lot. She’s put college and her life on hold for now.”

“I’m happy, Pete. If Claire’s happy, I am. Well, big brother, I want to ask you something. Pete, will you be my best man at my wedding? I couldn’t think of anyone better.”

“Nick, are you sure? You’ve got lots of friends. But of course I’d be honored to do this for you.”

“Pete, don’t be stupid. I’m one hundred percent sure, and we’ve also set the date. It’s not too far away. Saturday, December the 31st and we’ve booked the local church in Mansfield, the same one that her parents were married in.”

“How can I say no? It’s great news. I’m happy for both of you. Would you mind if Mike comes with me? It’s his birthday the day before, and I’d rather not be without him,” Pete asked.

“Yeah, of course bring him as your guest. The rest of the family can meet him. I’m gonna have to get off—we’re going for a meal with Claire’s parents this evening. Bye, Pete.”

Pete said goodbye and went to find Mike, who was in the kitchen, and who’d made him a sandwich to make up for having no lunch. He ate it and Mike suggested they went to watch TV upstairs, but also whispered a few more other options in his ear. They ran up the stairs quickly to make the most of their time alone before the others got back.

Down on the beach a few hours later, Davy, Micky and the girls had eaten pizza with some of their friends and now walked back up to the house. Entering through the back way, they got undressed to their underwear, turned on the hot tub and got in. Micky went inside first to go to the kitchen and get some glasses and sodas, bringing them back outside and joining the others in the water.

They added what was left of the alcohol to the soda, then finished off the drinks and decided to go for a swim. Davy got towels from the shower room on the ground floor of the house, and they all dived into the pool. They had a race. Micky won followed by Davy, Maria then Ginny last. They dried off and dumped the towels in the mud room.

Micky put on the TV. “Anyone up for a movie? Let’s see if there’s anything worth watching.” He used the clicker to go through the channels, settling on a horror movie.

“Don’t worry if you get scared, girls, we’ll protect you,” Davy said, settling down on a couch close to Ginny and putting his arm around her waist.

Micky and Maria got comfortable on the other, and she pulled him close to her. “Come here, Micky, and give me a kiss.”

He didn’t need asking twice and went straight in and kissed her. The same as at the movies the other night, nothing much got watched, both couples too occupied with making out. Davy and Ginny soon fell asleep, cuddled up together.

Micky looked over at them. “Shall we leave them in peace…and do you fancy coming to my room? I got a big double bed, much better than my single back home,” he asked Maria.

“What kind of girl do you think I am? Well, it is kind of our second date so…why not? Micky, show me the way. I do remember most of upstairs. Are any of you using the big master bedroom? It’s got a huge custom-made bed.”

She ran upstairs, followed by Micky, heading straight to the master bedroom. Not knowing anyone was in there, Maria went to open the door. As Micky started kissing her, they soon lost their balance, falling straight onto the floor in a fit of giggles, and a light suddenly came on from within the room.


	6. Chapter 6

The light in the bedroom came on as Micky suddenly realized _which_ door Maria had opened. He panicked and started pulling her up off the floor to get her out of the bedroom as quickly as possible without her seeing anything.

“Come on! This isn’t my room! Let’s get out of here. Follow me, Maria,” he whispered to her.

Mike had put the bedside light on when he heard the commotion. He checked beside him—Pete was still in bed. Then Mike heard voices and saw two figures moving near the open bedroom door. He sat up in bed, recognizing one was Micky, but the other sure wasn’t Davy.

“Sorry for disturbing you,” Micky said as quietly as he could, while trying to turn Maria around to leave. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’ll take you to my bedroom. It’s not far, just down the landing—the double one on the left.”

Maria turned with him a little then stopped and looked straight at the bed. She realized it was Mike. “Sorry, Mike, I didn’t know anyone was using this room… Who are you with?” she asked, noticing another figure lying in bed, one she couldn’t make out.

“Maria, it doesn’t matter. Come with me, please? Sorry,” Micky said again. But Maria walked over to the bed, stopping just at the side, and staring down.

“Oh my god!” she said shocked, looking at Mike, then turned and ran into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind her.

Mike and Micky looked at each other, knowing full well what she’d seen—Pete asleep next to Mike in the bed. Mike started to get out of bed, looking for his pants, which Micky found not far from the door. He threw them over, bringing the rest of their clothes. 

“Should I go talk to her, do you think? What a way to find out about us. I’ll wake Pete, see what he wants to do.” Mike was starting to panic a little.

“No, leave it. I’ll go try to talk to her. Probably best to wake Pete and tell him.” Micky knocked at the door and opened it a little. “Can I come in?” He heard a quiet _yes_ and entered. Maria was sitting on the bathroom floor, so he sat beside her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I just don’t know what to think…we kind of presumed Peter preferred guys, but I’d never have imagined he and Mike were together,” Maria said. “You said they had partners, so I suppose I presumed you meant girlfriends.”

“They’ve been together since February. I’m sorry about you finding out this way—does it bother you, them being a couple? Pete’s dad is the only one who can’t seem to accept them.”

“No, it doesn’t bother me. I’m a little embarrassed as I flirted with Mike a bit, but he told me he was with someone…he could have told me it was Peter. I wouldn’t have been bothered.”

“Well, you’ve had a bit to drink so that won’t help… Do you wanna talk to them or sleep on it and talk to them in the morning? You can share my bed. I’ll just keep you company, and we can talk about anything you want. I know Mike feels bad, but you don’t need to decide anything right now.”

“I’m not sure. I will talk to them, let them know how I feel, but, yes maybe in the morning after I’ve sobered up and calmed down. Do you mind if I stay with you tonight?”

“No, you go ahead. I’ll be with you in a few minutes.” He walked her to the bedroom door and then went to talk to Mike, who was sitting looking worried, Pete beside him looking shocked.

“Don’t worry. She’s okay. I think she’s just in shock. It wasn’t the best way to find out about the two of you. She says she’ll talk to you both in the morning. She’s not bothered that you’re together as a couple, but she just wants to get some sleep. She’s gonna be with me in my room. Night, guys.”

Micky left their room, leaving them together staring at each other, neither knowing what to say. Mike put his arms around Pete, hugging him and pulling him close to his chest. He could see tears in his eyes, so wanted to comfort him.

“It’s okay, Pete, everything will be fine. As Micky says, don’t worry. We’ll both talk to her in the morning when she’s calmed down.” Mike hugged Pete tighter.

“I can’t help being worried that she’ll tell Ginny, her mom and Aunt Rosa. Dad will hate it that the family know about me. Did she look mad?”

“No, she didn’t, just shocked. Come on, let’s get some sleep. We can all talk in the morning. Calm down. I’m sure she’ll be okay.” Mike lay down, encouraging Pete to do the same, and soon they were both asleep, wrapped tightly in each other’s arms.

***

Morning arrived and Maria woke up with a slight headache and in a strange bed. Lying beside her was a curly-haired guy, she remembered was Micky, her cousin Peter’s friend and bandmate. _Oh my god._ She also remembered she’d seen Peter in bed with Mike, another member of the band. Mike, who she’d flirted with and more or less propositioned. She went to the bathroom to have a shower.

When she returned to the bed, Micky was awake. “You feeling any better than you did last night? Do you feel you’re ready to talk to Pete and Mike this morning? I bet they never wanted you to find out like you did. I think Pete was gonna tell you, but your mom wanted them to say nothing about Annie, thinking you didn’t know anything about her, so he knew they wouldn’t be happy if he’d told you.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. Mom and Dad treat us like little kids still. The older generation have no idea. Are you and Davy okay with them together, you know with you all living in the same house?”

“We both figured out they liked each other before they’d admit it themselves, and we even set them up on a blind date! It worked, and apart from a few little problems, they’ve been happy together since. Me and Davy have no problem, apart from when things get a little loud and they keep us awake at night… Pete’s gran has no problems with them, and she’s older.”

“Okay, I wonder if it would be best if I told Ginny myself, or maybe just be there when I talk to Peter and Mike. Do you mind if we go have a coffee first, help me think of what to do?”

They dressed and went downstairs, finding Davy and Ginny in the kitchen, with coffee and tea already brewed and ready. Micky poured them both a cup.

“Everything all right with you two?” Davy asked looking straight at Micky. “We both fell asleep on the couch and woke up about half an hour ago. Any sign of either Pete or Mike getting up yet?”

“No, not seen or heard them, and everything’s fine. Anyone want some toast?” Micky said, trying to change the subject. He saw Maria looking over at Ginny “Do you want to have some time alone so you can have a chat?”

Maria looked back at Micky. “No, it’s okay. I think I’ll have some toast, settle my stomach. I was a bit sick last night,” she said to Ginny. “But I feel much better now. Micky looked after me.”

“Well, what do you all want to do today? We’ve got a day free before Mike gets us started on the decorating on Monday… Isn’t it your birthday party tonight, Ginny? And your birthday today?”

“No, Davy, my eighteenth is tomorrow, but yes, the party’s tonight as Dad couldn’t be here tomorrow night. You’re all invited, of course. There’s a free bar too. Just a shame your band can’t play. It would have been good to hear you,” Ginny said. “You really okay?” she asked Maria.

Maria nodded yes to Ginny. They sat at the kitchen table, finishing off their breakfast and trying to decide what to do later. Ginny suggested the indoor roller-rink, which Davy was up for. Micky heard movement in the living room and went in to look: Mike and Pete had got up.

“Hey, guys. We’re all in the kitchen—me, Davy and the girls. Maria’s calmed down now. She hasn’t said anything to Ginny, and Davy had no idea about what happened last night,” Micky said.

Pete and Mike look at each other, unsure what to do next, but not long after the other three came into the room, Maria looking straight at them both. She walked over to Pete and smiled.

“It’s okay, Peter.” She gave him a big hug. “I love you and feel the same as I’ve always done. Nothing’s changed. Last night was just a bit of a shock. I’d had a little too much to drink as well.”

“Thanks, Maria. I thought you might hate me. I wanted to tell you, but your mom didn’t want us telling you about Annie, and she and Aunt Rosa have no idea about us being together,” Pete said.

Ginny looked surprised and Maria came over to her. “I didn’t want to say anything to you until Peter and Mike were up.” She turned to both of them. “It might be best coming from one of you.” Ginny looked at Maria then Pete and Mike. No one knew what to say next.

“What’s happened? Is somebody please gonna tell me?” Ginny asked looking worried. “Maria, I know something’s up with you. You’ve been acting odd all morning.”

Mike decided to speak first. Pete was looking uncomfortable, and Mike thought it might come better from him than a family member. He took hold of one of Pete’s hands, pulling it close to him. “Ginny, we need to let you know that, well, me and Pete, we’re together. We love each other, and we’ve been a couple since February.”

“Oh. Okay. You know about this, Maria?” Maria nodded at her. Ginny looked at Davy and Micky. “You know as well, I guess. About time you finally got together with someone, Peter. You both look good together. I’m happy for both of you.”

“I only found out last night by accident. Mom, Dad and Aunt Rosa have no idea, but I knew you’d be like me, Ginny. We’re both quite open about things. The main thing is that Peter and Mike are happy.”

“Are we gonna get off to the roller-rink soon?” asked Davy. “Come on, Mick, something else that I’m probably better at than you. With you being all gangly-limbed and skinny, you might not have good balance, whereas I have perfect balance. I often had a go on my sisters’ roller skates.”

Maria borrowed her dad’s car and she, Ginny, Davy and Micky left to go to the roller-rink, about a ten-minute drive away. The guys paid for them all to hire skates.

They were all soon skating around the rink. Davy was good, just as he said he would be, Ginny skating beside him. Micky was a little wobbly, but Maria stayed close, holding his hand, helping him keep upright and on his feet.

Soon Davy had an audience of young girls watching him, which just encouraged him to go faster, showing off a bit too much, Micky thought. Micky was getting better—he skated side by side with Maria, gradually getting a little faster.

Lots more people joined them on the rink as a DJ started off the disco, which soon had Davy dancing and singing along to the music. He was happy Ginny could keep up with him.

“Come on, Micky, try spinning around! It’s easy,” Davy said, twirling around, enjoying the girls watching him. Ginny had skated off in front and was chatting to and skating beside another guy.

“Hey, Davy, looks like you’ve lost Ginny’s interest. She’s left you for that blond guy over there. Come on, Maria, let’s leave him to show off on his own.” Micky was improving, and doing well.

They skated for about another thirty minutes and Ginny went off to get them all sodas, which they sat on a bench nearby to drink.

“Ginny’s better on the ice. She does ice dancing with a guy back home, and even competes too. I just prefer to do it for fun. She’s even going to Emerson in Boston because they’ve got ice rinks nearby. I go to the University of Connecticut in Storrs, studying medicine,” Maria said.

“Emerson is good. A liberal arts college, so I can do English and Performing Arts too. I want to either be an actress or writer. I used to write lots of stories as a child,” Ginny said.

“So you want to be a doctor, then, Maria?” Micky asked.

“Yeah, I want to do something worthwhile with my life. Mom was a nurse. She works a few days a week at a local hospital. Dad works for the _Hartford Courant_ , a local newspaper.”

“I used to act. Mainly theater. Some here, in New York, and back home in England. I started acting at school in plays, but met these guys and we formed the band,” Davy said.

“Does Peter and Mike being together affect the band at all? I mean, what do you do if they row and aren’t talking? Doesn’t it make things maybe awkward?” Ginny asked Davy

“They’ve only really had one issue between them, and things went back to normal pretty quickly. We helped them get together in the first place. I think Mike being with Pete has made him calmer and happier, which is a good thing for us two,” Davy said.

“Ginny, we need to go. Remember Mom’s friend’s coming to fix your hair for your party, and Dad will go crazy if we’re late. You know what he’s like. We’ll drop you back at the house first, and remember to be at the spirts club at about six, and bring Peter and Mike.”

***

The guys arrived back home and decided to cool off in the pool for a while. Mike and Pete had made a start on the decorating in Mrs. Straus’ craft room. They’d done some painting and started to hang the wallpaper, and decided to take a break when the others returned.

“Are you two coming to Ginny’s birthday party later?” Micky asked them.

“Yeah, we will.” Pete looked at Mike and he nodded his response. “Wonder if they’ll be a lot of family there? Doubt my parents will come. Gran can’t make it—she called, but she’s sent a card and present in the post for Ginny. I haven’t seen many of Mom’s side of the family in a while.”

Micky and Davy swapped the pool for the hot tub to relax. Mike got drinks for the four of them. “Anyone fancy playing something at the party tonight? We got some instruments here in the house. Aren’t there some guitars and a banjo?” Davy asked the others.

“Have they hired a band, do you know, Davy? We could put the instruments in the car just in case. They’ve probably got a DJ for music,” Mike said.

“They’ll have hired something. One thing about my family is that they love to throw money at things, showing people how well off they are. I don’t like it,” Pete said.

“Well, sounds like at least there’ll be plenty of decent buffet food then. No need to make any dinner, and I can sure put away a lot of food tonight.” Micky laughed

Pete fetched the guitars and banjo from the music room. “I’m sure there’s a good few numbers we can play. You could play something on the acoustic, Micky.”

The guys went to get ready, they showered and changed. Micky and Davy were ready first and were soon fed up of waiting. Micky ran upstairs to try and encourage Mike and Pete to get a move on.

He knocked on their door, opening it slightly, and heard they were both still in the bathroom.

“Come on, you two, we’re ready downstairs. Just finish what you’re doing and come down. We’ll put the instruments in the car—hurry up!” he shouted.

They loaded up the car, being careful with the instruments. While in the garage, Micky noticed another door, which he opened, seeing a flight of stairs. He started to walk down them to see what was down there when he heard a bang nearby, like something being knocked over, and went back up.

“Davy, you hear that? There’s noises coming from down there.” He pointed to show Davy.

“I didn’t hear anything, Micky. You’re probably imagining things—you watch far too many horror movies. It’s playing tricks on your mind. Come on, I can hear those two coming down now.”

They drove off to the club, Micky quiet: he was positive he’d heard something, and he was determined to check it out when they got back later.


	7. Chapter 7

The guys arrived at the sports club. Ginny was at the door greeting her guests, her mom and dad beside her. They were also vetting her guests, checking out for any undesirables.

Ginny hugged Pete. “Mom, Dad, these are Peter’s friends, Davy, Micky and Pete’s partner Mike. Guys, meet my mom and dad.” She smiled directly at her parents as she spoke. She looked a little unsure about the expressions of shock on their faces, and them glaring at Mike and Pete.

Ginny’s parents pulled Pete off to one side, neither of them looking happy with him. “What on earth is she on about, Peter?” his aunt asked him. “I said not to say anything about Annie and her female partner and now Virginia is saying your friend Mike is your partner. Is this true and how does she know about it? Does Maria know too?”

“Aunt Alicia, Uncle Alan, I’m not ashamed to tell you this, but yes it’s true. Michael and I are together in a relationship. I love him and I don’t care who knows. Gran, my parents, Nick and Chris know. Maria knows. She found out by accident and we told Ginny—they both seem fine about it.”

His uncle put his hand on his shoulder. “Peter, I’d rather you kept quiet about this in front of our friends and family, and of course Aunt Rosa doesn’t need to know. Is this a phase you’re going through? The family can get you some help—you saw my friend before with your past issues. He’s here at the party and I’m sure he has time to talk to you. I’ll go and find him.”

“It’s not a phase,” Pete stated. “I know exactly what I’m doing and what I want, and I definitely don’t need any help or any more goddamn therapy. Don’t you think I had enough of that before from my dad? I’m finally happy with my life…really happy, finally.”

Mike was watching from the side and could see Pete was getting himself agitated and worked up and could hear it in his voice. He decided to go over. He stood next to Pete, letting him sense he was there beside him, if he needed his support.

Alan looked at Mike angrily. “Do you mind excusing us? My nephew and I are having a private conversation. This is nothing for you to get involved with.”

“It is, when you’re ranting about him. Do you want me to raise my voice any louder? I will. I don’t care what people think anymore. If you can’t accept me for who I am, that’s your problem.”

“At least your parents have two of their children who’ve turned out normal. We’ve met Nick’s girlfriend, Claire. She’s a lovely girl.” Alicia came to his side to encourage her husband to calm down and not cause a scene, as people were looking over at them.

Maria noticed what was happening, and came and stood beside Pete and Mike. “Mom, Dad, please can’t you just stop? Pete’s still the same person he’s always been—treat him just as you always have. Ginny and I don’t care and Mike’s a really nice guy. Things are different these days.”

Mike could see the tears starting in Pete’s eyes. He wanted to hug and comfort him, but didn’t want to cause any more problems or a scene in front of Pete’s family. He encouraged Pete to walk away.

“Come on, let’s go and get a drink. Stop worrying about what other people think. We know how we feel about each other, and that’s the only thing that matters to me right now, okay, Pete?”

Pete smiled back at Mike, wanting to take his hand, but knowing they couldn’t in public. He just followed Mike to the bar where Mike got them a drink each.

“Here, drink this, Pete, and don’t argue.” Pete drank it all in one go, but nearly spat it straight back out when he tasted the Scotch. He glared straight at Mike. “Don’t say a word, just swallow it. It’ll calm you down.” Mike then drank his own glass quickly.

Micky and Davy came over and joined them, asking the barman for two beers. Micky got a word in before Mike got chance to say anything.

“The legal drinking age in New York State is eighteen, so we can legally drink here, Mike. Don’t worry, though, we won’t have too many. I’d keep an eye on Pete, though—looks like he’s getting another.”

Mike took the glass off Pete. “Are you sure you want and can handle this babe? We don’t want you getting drunk.” He looked at and smelt the drink. It was a Coke. “Sorry for doubting you, Pete.”

“I never said it was alcohol, Mike, and you’re the one who got me the Scotch. I’m sticking to not drinking. You can drink, though. I don’t mind. It was fun the other night.” He whispered the last bit to Mike.

Mike blushed a little as the other two guys returned after they’d gone to chat to Maria. “They want to know if we can maybe play a few songs,” said Davy. “We’ve got the guitars and banjo and there’s a piano on the stage over there. I’m sure we can work out a short set list.”

Mike agreed and he went with Micky to get the instruments from the car. Pete went to check out the piano. It was in tune and sounded okay. The others were soon back. Micky and Mike each got a guitar and started to play. The first song they did was _Daydream_ _Believer,_ which went down well with the younger crowd. They went into _No Time_ and Pete took up the banjo for _You Told Me_ and _What Am I Doing Hangin' Round?._

Everyone was up and dancing. They went into _Let's Dance On_ and finished with _She Hangs Out,_ then it was time for the DJ's set. Ginny came up and gave each of them a big hug and thanked them.

“That was brilliant! We’re gonna have to come to California and go to some of your gigs. Can you maybe play a few more songs later? You’re so much better than the DJ, don’t you think, Maria?”

“Yeah, you’re one of the best singers I’ve ever heard, Micky. We definitely have to come and see you play. Maybe in the fall, before we go back to college. We can see Annie’s twins too,” Maria said.

“Let’s persuade Aunt Catherine to take us with her when she visits. Mom and Dad might be okay with that. You guys could show us around LA and Hollywood—there’s so much I’d want to see,” Ginny said to all of them. She then dragged Davy onto the dance floor.

Mike and Pete sat at a table to have another drink, Micky and Maria joining Davy and Ginny in the crowd dancing. People were coming up and congratulating them on their music, asking them if they were going to be doing another set later.

Mike and Pete went outside for some fresh air. It was quite warm and quiet. Finding themselves alone, Mike put his arms around Pete’s waist and pulled him close to him, kissing the tip of his nose, causing Pete to giggle and kiss him back. Just a brief kiss in case anyone else was about.

“Are we gonna play again, or do you fancy going back to the house? I feel a bit too old for this crowd. We’re not teenagers anymore. One advantage is the free bar, I suppose,” Mike said.

“Are you really sure you want to go and leave Micky and Davy here with a free bar and all these young girls? I know you too well—you’ll be worried about them all night,” Pete replied.

“I suppose you’re right. Yeah, you do know what I’m like. I look out for all three of you. You sometimes do things that worry me just as much as those two, you know,” Mike stated.

Micky came up to them, looking a little panicked, “Guys, come with me over here—I heard some strange noises coming from near those bushes over there. I’m not sure what it is. It doesn’t sound normal. Davy can’t hear anything.”

They followed him over. “There! Can you hear anything at all?” he asked. Mike and Pete went over to the other side and looked down at two very shocked people who stood and stared at them while adjusting the uniforms that they were wearing. “Oh sorry,” Micky apologized to them.

The couple explained they were on their break, and could none of them say anything to their bosses, in case they got dismissed—they didn’t want to lose their jobs.  
Davy started laughing and pulled Micky away from them, saying they’d keep quiet about this incident. “Come on, Mick, let’s get you inside and a soda before you hear anything else anywhere.”

“Okay, well I didn’t expect it to be that,” Micky said, looking slightly shocked.

“Hey, you’ve been known to go and hide with a girl for a kiss and more after our gigs, both of you, more so you, Davy” Mike said to them. “I remember finding you in a closet a few times, Micky.”

They decided to play another short set after the girls persuaded them to. They seemed to go down much better than anything the DJ played, even though they weren’t at their best without Micky on drums and Davy on percussion. If they lived out there, they could have got quite a few more bookings for parties amongst members of the crowd.

Maria and Ginny’s dad came over and thanked them for playing. He even offered them fifty dollars as a thank you, and Davy took it before Mike got chance to say no to him.

“Davy, why did you take that? We never came with a present for Ginny so it could have been our birthday gift to her—why’d you not give me chance to say something?” Mike said.

“Mike, we still need to earn a living. You wouldn’t turn it down if we were back home. Here it is, so just save it for when we do need it. He looks like he can afford it—it looks like all Pete’s family seem to have plenty of money. Sorry, no offence meant, Pete.”

“None taken, Davy. I just don’t like how they throw it around at people. Dad, Uncle Alan with their well-paid jobs, their lives…it’s just not my bag. I like how we live. I never want to be like them.”

“Are you two planning on staying for much longer? I think Pete and I might head off back to the house. Remember we’re doing the decorating tomorrow, so you need to be up quite early.”

“We might go see what the girls are doing, but we won’t stop too much longer, Dad,” Micky joked. “We know you two oldies need your sleep and early nights.”

Davy looked at Micky. “Sleep? These two? Are you really sure about that, Mick? At least in this house, we’re far enough away from their bedroom, and the noises that keep us awake at night.”

“I’ll get you both a pair of ear plugs for when we get home. I can’t help being that irresistible to Pete that he can’t keep his hands off me,” Mike said, noticing Pete’s face turn beet red.

“Ooh, Mike, you’re embarrassing Pete. And, anyway, most of the noises come from him, and I don’t think its because he’s ticklish, not with those loud screams…I worry what you get up too sometimes.”

“Micky, Mike, I’m here and can hear every word you’re saying about me. Anyway, I was all pure and innocent until I got together with you. Michael, you’ve corrupted me.” Pete laughed

“Come on then, babe, let’s get off home. See you two later. Just behave,” he said.

Mike and Pete took a slow walk home on the beach, which was deserted so they held hands. Mike gave Pete a kiss on his cheek, happy to be able to do this in a public place. They entered the house by the entrance near the pool, deciding to watch some television for a while.

They both fell asleep halfway through a movie, Mike lying on the couch with Pete half on top of him. They were woken up by the arrival of Micky and Davy. Micky rarely could be quiet, walking up to them, looking down at them.

“I’m surprised you two weren’t in bed already. We’re not too late. It’s not even midnight yet, but the party was winding down. Maria and Ginny had to go back with her parents, so there shouldn’t be any surprise disturbances during the night,” Micky said.

Davy picked up the remote control after putting some beers and a bowl of popcorn onto the coffee table. “Do you mind if I see if there’s anything else on the television? Let’s see if there’s any late-night movies, Mick.” He passed him a beer over. “Either of you two want one?”

Mike took a bottle from Davy, but Pete shook his head to say no. “I’m gonna go upstairs and read for a while. You stay and watch the movie, Mike. Just don’t drink too much.” He winked as he said that.

“Okay, babe, I’ll probably be up soon, and I don’t think we’ve got enough beers for any of us to get drunk. We’ll need to find a store to get some more in for another day.”

“We’ll look after him. Night, Pete. Don’t worry. You two get more like an old married couple every day. Mike’s the dad and you, Pete, are our mom.” Davy laughed, taking a sip of his beer.

Micky was stuffing his face with popcorn, getting comfy in an armchair. “Night, Pete, we won’t tire Mike out too much either.” Mike looked over at him, spitting out some of his beer.

They settled to watch a movie double bill. Davy fetched more beers and some chips. By the end of the first movie, Mike decided to call it a night and headed off upstairs to bed. Davy went off to the bathroom, leaving Micky on his own.

Mick entered their room and found Pete still awake, reading. “You waited up for me, babe? Thanks. I’m just gonna use the john and take a quick shower. Don’t get falling asleep on me.” He laughed.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the living room, Micky sat up quickly, thinking he heard a crashing noise coming from somewhere nearby. He looked around and couldn’t see anything.

Davy came back into the room as Micky was searching. “Did you hear that crash, Davy?” he asked. “I can’t see where it came from.”

“What crash? I didn’t hear anything. Just you probably hearing things again…has the horror film freaked you out?” Davy laughed.

Mike and Pete came to the top of the stairs. “What’s all the commotion?” Mike shouted down. “What’s the matter, guys?” They both came downstairs.

“I heard a crash. Sounded like something falling somewhere, but I can’t see anything. Will you all have a look around with me?” Micky asked, looking a little puzzled.

They checked around the room, no one finding a thing, when suddenly they heard a bang coming from the kitchen, so went to investigate. Turning on the light. Mike saw a plate on the floor. Pete looked around until he found a cat under the kitchen table, drinking milk from a bottle that was on the floor. He picked it up.

“Mick, I think the cat might have knocked the milk over, then the plate. Looks like she was cleaning up the evidence. Wonder how she got in here? Might belong to a neighbour.” He opened the kitchen door to let the cat out, which soon ran off.

“I wonder if that’s what I heard before in the basement, when we couldn’t find anything. And, look, there is a cat flap on the kitchen door: that’s maybe how it got in,” Micky said.

“Why don’t we all head off to bed? Don’t want you hearing anymore strange noises, Mick, so no more horror films late at night, but at least you now know you wasn’t imagining things. I’ll get this mess cleaned up first. Night, guys,” Mike said.

After, Mike cleaned up the milk and went back upstairs, not noticing the door to the basement was open.


	8. Chapter 8

Micky was first up the next morning, having not slept too well. He was a little paranoid about hearing things, and he’d dreamt about hearing strange noises in the house all through the night, and had even slept with the bedside light on. He’d checked downstairs a few times but found nothing out of the ordinary, and no sign of the cat either.

He was at the kitchen table with corn flakes and orange juice when Mike came in. Micky had already started the coffee going for him when he’d thought he heard someone coming downstairs.

“You okay, Mick? You don’t look like you slept too well,” Mike asked.

“I didn’t. I couldn’t settle. Kept thinking about hearing noises, and when I did get some sleep, I dreamt about the same. Could this house be haunted? We need to ask Pete if anything’s ever happened here in the past…like, what if someone died here?”

“Mick, it’s probably just your imagination running wild. No one else has heard anything, apart from us finding the cat last night. Maybe lay off the horror movies before you go to bed?” Mike said.

“Okay, I’ll try. I guess it’s odd as well, you know, sleeping in a room on my own. For the past few years I shared with you, then Davy, so I’m used to the noises you both make, like Davy’s snoring. And I miss our late-night talks when you couldn’t sleep. Sometimes I wish things hadn’t changed.”

“Well you can talk to me anytime you want, Mick, I’ll always be here for you. Is there something else bothering you? Come on, you can tell me.”

“I feel a little confused. I know the girls are only having fun with us while we’re here over the summer, which I know we guys do all the time—Davy maybe more than others—but I guess it’s made me realise I want a longer relationship, not just a summer fling.”

“You noticed this because for once you’re on the receiving end—you’re the one being used. We’ve all done it, me too, but you’re young, Micky. You’ll meet the right person you want to settle down with. It can happen anytime, and it’ll happen to you…maybe when you’re not ready for it.”

“I guess… You and Pete decided you were the one for each other after being just friends for so long, didn’t you? It took time for you to realise he was the one for you, the person you wanted to be with.”

“Yeah, it did. I didn’t know straightaway. The feelings just gradually grew and overwhelmed me, and I didn’t know what to do, you know, wondering if there was ever a chance that he felt the same about me. I’m so glad he did.”

“I’m always the second choice. You know what I mean, after Davy gets first choice—even Maria preferred you to me. It doesn’t feel good knowing they’d rather be with someone else. I’m not too bad looking and I’ve a good sense of humour. I want more than just fun for once,” Micky said.

“Micky, you have a lot to offer a chick! Yeah you make them laugh, but look, now you’re showing me you have a sensitive side. But you’ve got plenty of time. Just enjoy everything while you can, and I’m sure there’s girls who prefer you to Davy—not all chicks dig a short guy.”

“Do you ever regret getting into a relationship with Pete? It seems you’re both serious about each other. Don’t you wish you’d had more fun with chicks or other guys?”

Mike wasn’t sure what to say to that—he decided not to go into many details about his past. “I kinda did that before I met you guys. I messed around. But I grew up, probably a little before my time, and no, I don’t regret settling with Pete. It feels right, like it’s meant to be like this.”

“Thanks for this, Mike. It’s good to be able to chat like this. You’re like the big brother I never had. All you guys are like brothers to me, and even though you’re more like a dad at times, you’ve been through things and give us good advice. You look out for us and I appreciate that.”

“No problem, Micky. I’m here anytime you need a chat. Talk to Pete too. He has a different view of things—maybe he can help too. He also has younger brothers, so should understand. I bet his brothers asked him for advice.” He thought about it for a minute. “They might have done.”

“You two suit each other. You look after him and he looks up to you. And I can tell he adores you—he’s changed since you became a couple. You’re good for him, as he is for you too. I can’t believe how Pete’s family live, though. I mean, a house like this! They must be quite well off and he doesn’t ever ask them for anything. He’s happy as he is.”

“That’s Pete. He’s not a material type of guy. I mean he’s still not played that guitar his dad got him for his birthday. I think their wealth and the way they live embarrass him.”

Upstairs, Davy came out of his room and found Pete sitting at the top of the stairs. “What’s up, Peter? Why’re you here and not downstairs yet?”

“I did go into the living room, but heard Mike and Micky having a private conversation in the kitchen and I didn’t want to disturb or interrupt them…and also I heard my name mentioned, which panicked me a little, so I came back up here.”

“So you’re worried that they’re talking about you? They could’ve been talking about anything, Pete! Why do you always look for the negative and think the worst of everything?”

“I can’t help the way I am! You know what I’m like. Do you think I’ve done anything wrong? Have I upset Mike? Or maybe he’s curious about Maria liking him. She’s got him thinking about us—it could even be that he wants a more normal relationship with a chick.”

“Pete, you’re thinking too much about things. To me, everything looks fine between the two of you, and it sounds like it too, if you know what I mean. Come on down with me?” Davy asked.

“In a minute… I sometimes wonder if Mike’s feelings for me are the same as mine for him. I’ve never felt this way about anyone ever before and I think I’m too much for him, like obsessed with him… I worry about him going off me. Do you think I’m too overbearing? I just love him so much, Davy.”

“I don’t know, Pete. I’ve never been in a similar situation to you. I’m not ready to settle down with one chick yet. I want to see what else is out there while I’m young. I don’t wanna be tied down.”

“I don’t understand why you want that, but maybe Mike wants something similar? I could tell him we could have an open relationship, let him do what he wants or needs, but as long as he doesn’t tell me. If that’s the only way to be with him, I’ll take anything I can,” Pete said. “I don’t want to lose him.”

“Come on, Pete, stop being so paranoid. Let’s go get some breakfast. Sitting here on your own is making you overthink about things you don’t need to worry about.”

“Okay, I’m on my way. I’ll talk to Mike later and try to calm down.”

Davy and Pete joined the other two in the kitchen, where Davy started to make himself some tea and get some cereal. He looked over at Mike, and nudged him with his elbow, letting him see him that he needed to have some time with Pete, that Pete needed him right now. Mike nodded slightly back to him.

“I’m gonna go and take some of the paint and wallpaper upstairs and we can make a start on both those bedrooms,” Mike stated to the others. “Micky, you and Davy can begin one and Pete and I will start on the other. Okay then, guys?”

Soon they’d striped the walls of the old wallpaper and began to put up the new paper. Mike was doing better than the others. Micky and Davy couldn’t get the hang of putting up wallpaper—their paper had stuck together with the paste or had ripped, and they came to ask Mike for his help, offering to do more painting instead.

They’d stopped to have a drink and start some lunch when there was a knock at the front door. Mike went and found Pete’s brother Nick on the other side, holding pizza and beers.

“Hey, guys, hope you don’t mind me dropping by. I brought lunch too.” He put the food and drinks onto the table and pulled Pete into a hug.

“How you all doing? I stopped off on my way to New York. Claire’s already there with Mom and her mom. They’ve gone wedding dress shopping, and of course they don’t want me around. So I thought I’d come and catch up with Pete and lend a hand. I don’t need to be in the city until tomorrow so I can sleep over, if that’s okay with all of you guys.”

Pete spoke first. “Of course stay tonight and thanks for the food. We were just about to start lunch as well.” Pete took a slice of pizza and went into the ice box for a soda, the other four having a beer with their food. “I still can’t believe my little brother’s getting married this year.”

“Are you any good at hanging wallpaper? These three just can’t seem to be able to do it without it turning into a disaster.” Mike laughed to Nick. “I could do with some help.”

“I’m not too bad. Learnt a few things from Claire’s dad. He’s a painter and decorator, and I often help him out on some of his jobs, so I’ll give you a hand, no problem. It’s a good while since I’ve been here.”

The guys finished their lunch. Mike and Nick, having had a few beers each, headed upstairs before the others to get back on with the decorating. They decided they’d finish the wallpaper hanging and the other three could get on with the painting. Mike was glad Nick had turned up. They went to one room, leaving the others working in the one next door.

“I’m glad to have something to take my mind off wedding planning. Mom and Dad are going over so much with Claire’s parents. Dress shopping today, then suits, bridesmaid dresses and rings to choose tomorrow…it’s all happening really quickly. It’s good to have a break from it all.”

“Odd, as today I’ve been chatting to Micky about settling down. Maybe you could chat with him? You’re not much older than him. I told him he’ll meet the right chick when he’s ready.”

“Well I’ve been with Claire for years, before high school. It was drummed into us to not mess girls around. Mom is very strict about that, and she liked Claire from the start,” Nick said.

“So neither you or Pete have much experience in relationships? He told me I’m his first.”

“Yeah, guess we’re both pretty boring in that way. I fell for Claire and couldn’t see myself being with anyone else and Pete, I guess, just waited until he met you. I can see he loves you. I know he’s liked other people before, but I don’t think anything ever happened with them—he was too shy.”

“Well I love him too. I think Micky comes to talk to me with me being older—he sees me as a big brother. I’ve always looked out for the three of them. I know your dad doesn’t approve of us, but I hope we last. I’ve never been as serious about anyone before,” Mike admitted to Nick.

“Dad wants me to reconsider my decision to have Pete as my best man. He doesn’t think he’d be suitable. He says I should pick one of my friends instead, but I can’t do that to Pete, just drop him. Yeah my friends probably could help more, but Pete’s my brother.”

“I don’t know what to say to that, but I think it would hurt him if you told him you’d changed your mind. He’s been there for you longer than any friend would be. I hope you don’t do this to him.”

“I know that. Pete’s always gonna be in my life. I won’t give in to Dad—don’t worry about that.”

In the other bedroom, the other three were painting the walls a neutral beige color. Pete was still very quiet, worrying over what Mike and Micky had been talking about earlier.

“Everything okay, Pete?” Micky asked him, noticing Davy shaking his head at him.

“I’m fine, Micky, is anything bothering you?” Pete walked to the door to leave the bedroom. “Just going to the bathroom in our room.”

Micky looked over at Davy, a puzzled look on his face. “You know something, don’t you? Something’s wrong with him, isn’t it? He talks to you. Davy, come on, tell me what’s up with him.”

“He overheard you two talking in the kitchen, heard his name mentioned and is paranoid about Mike’s feelings for him. He thinks Mike doesn’t want to be with him anymore, that Mike’s gone off him…you know what Pete gets like. He thinks Mike might want to prefer to be with a chick instead, and now Mike’s in there chatting to his brother, and they could be talking about him, he’ll think.”

“Oh my god—we were talking more about my problems, and I asked a few things about them, how Mike knew it was Pete he wanted. He’s got it so wrong! Mike does love him. It’s so obvious.”

“Well, when he comes back, you can tell him that, or get Mike to have a word with him…or even better, talk to him together and tell him exactly what you were chatting about,” Davy said.

“Okay, Davy. I’ll go see Mike now, see what he thinks best to do. He and Nick know Pete better than anyone—they’ll know what to say to him.” Micky left for the other bedroom.

“Mike, I think you might need to have a chat with Pete. Davy said he overheard us talking and is a bit worried after hearing us mention his name. You’ve probably noticed he’s been really quiet.”

“Okay, Mick, is he in the room with you? Does Davy know what’s bothering him?”

“He thinks you’ve gone off him, and that you maybe want to have a normal relationship with a chick. Maybe Maria hitting on you has got to him. You know how he gets. He’s gone off to your room.”

“You want me to try and talk to him, calm him down if I can?” Nick asked them both.

“It’s up to you…if you think you can help, please do. Tell him I want him, no one else, neither a chick or another guy. Tell him he’s the only one for me. It gets to me how he thinks so little of himself, how he gets so paranoid about things—how can I convince him I love him?”

Nick went off Mike and Pete’s bedroom, finding Pete had locked himself in the bathroom.

“Pete, let me in, bro. We need to have a chat. I know you’re not feeling too good right now, but there’s some things we need to talk about. You gonna unlock this door?” Nick asked calmly.

He heard the key turn and the door open slightly. Nick was faced with a teary, red-eyed Pete, who he pulled straight into a big hug.

Micky meanwhile had gone downstairs to get some bottles of soda for them all. He went into the kitchen and spotted the cat out of the corner of his eye. He must have disturbed it, as it headed off through the open door into the garage.

Micky followed it, noticing it running down the basement stairs. He thought that must be how the cat got into the house, so he decided to investigate. At the bottom of the stairs, the basement was quite dark, but he noticed a light coming from the corner.

He heard something move, and, presuming it was the cat, walked over to the corner. Finding a flashlight, he turned it on, and saw an empty sleeping bag. He picked up the flashlight and moved it around to locate the source of the noise.

He moved a few boxes and found not the cat that he was expecting, but a young boy hiding and looking a little scared, which also made Micky jump a little. The boy tried to make a run for it to a hatch that was left unlocked, but Micky got there before him and grabbed him by the arm, preventing him moving any farther.

“Who are you?” Micky asked the scared-looking blue-eyed stranger.


	9. Chapter 9

The boy looked at Micky, trying to struggle and get him to release his grip, but Micky just held on tighter, so the kid gave up the fight.

“My name is Alex. I live down the road. I came in here…looking for my cat. I noticed she’d been sneaking into your basement so I decided to stay and wait for her so I could catch her and take her back home. I’m sorry. If you’ll just let go of my arm, I’ll leave and you can forget I was ever here.”

Micky loosened his grip, letting Alex relax a little. “I’m Micky, by the way. There’s three other guys staying here too: Davy, Mike and Peter. It’s Pete’s gran’s summer vacation house, and we’re here just doing some decorating for her. We’re from California. So, okay, which is your house?” Micky asked.

“It’s the blue one with the white shutters opposite the sports club. It doesn’t have the good beach location this one has. I’m staying with my family over the summer break from high school.”

“I think we scared the cat off. Sorry about that…but why have you got a flashlight and sleeping bag with you? Did you sleep down here last night? I thought I heard some strange noises!”

“Sorry. It was just last night. I thought it would be the best way to catch her. I didn’t think anyone was staying in the house, and I didn’t try going upstairs,” Alex stated.

“It’s okay. You could have just knocked on the door and asked for help, you know. Apart from Mike, nobody would have minded. Mike just gets a little cranky around strangers, but he’s good. You wanna come upstairs and meet the others?” Micky asked.

“No thanks. I think I better get off home—my family will be wondering where I am.” Alex picked up the flashlight and sleeping bag and left through the hatch.

“Well, bye, then. We might see you around, and don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out for your cat. I’d better get back upstairs with the sodas for the other guys.” Micky went to the kitchen, took the drinks from the ice box and headed up to the others.

He found Mike and Davy in one room. “I saw the cat again. It ran down to the basement, and I followed it, but couldn’t see where it went. But I found a young guy—he’s the cat’s owner.”

“So why was he in the basement, Mick? Why didn’t he come and ask us if we’d seen his cat?”

“Mike, he slept down there last night to try and catch the cat. He’s a local kid—well, staying on this street with his family for the summer. He’s called Alex…might be about seventeen.”

“He slept in the basement, Mick? Isn’t that a bit odd? Are you definitely sure? You have had a few beers today and have claimed to be hearing things over the past few days.” Davy laughed at him. “I remember you telling me you had an imaginary friend as a child…could he be back?”

“Davy, that was when I was about five and I wanted another brother! Mom and Dad even got a therapist to see me! But no, it’s not that at all. The kid was real—I can show you where he lives. I’ll catch his cat and we can both return it to the family.”

“Okay, we’ll do that, Micky, but first you need to catch it. Set a trap for it—put out some food or milk to tempt it out of its hiding place.”

“Okay then, I’ll do that, then you can come with me to meet Alex,” Micky said.

Davy looked at Mike and shook his head in disbelief. Pete and Nick were still not back, so Mike decided to go to find them. They were out on the balcony of their bedroom. Pete couldn’t bring himself to look at Mike. He turned to face away from him, looking out to the sea. Nick, sitting on a chair, just shrugged at Mike.

Nick walked over to Mike and whispered as quietly as he could, “I’m sorry, Mike, but I couldn’t really get anything out of him. He only just stopped crying. All I caught was him saying that you’d be better off without him. I’ll leave you two alone.” He said the last a little louder.

When Nick had left the room, Mike went to Pete. “Are you gonna tell me what’s wrong? Remember our promise to be honest with each other, Pete. Please talk to me.”

“Okay. I heard you and Micky talking, and Nick here, too, talking about his wedding has made me realise I’m keeping you away from a normal relationship with a girl. I could tell when Maria looked at you that you were flattered she liked you. I don’t want to hold you back from meeting someone you might want to settle down with, to marry and start a family with.”

“Pete, I’m with you! You’re who I want to be with. Please believe me, babe. I love you.”

“I believe you, but, Mike, think about your future—you haven’t told your family about us, and I doubt this is what they would want for you. Admit it, I’m right. So I’m giving you the chance to go and meet someone, someone who’ll give you a better future than I ever could,” Pete said.

“Peter, please stop this rubbish. Don’t be stupid—I don’t want anyone else. I’m serious about you.” He took hold of Pete’s hands. “Look at me. Look into my eyes. I only want you! Okay, I haven’t told my family and I suppose they won’t be happy, but you know I don’t care what they think.”

Pete dropped Mike’s hands. “Michael, you’ve only got your mom, and I’m sure you do care what she thinks, what she’d want from you. She’ll want grandchildren, Mine do…I’m just a disappointment to my mom and dad. I’ll never be the son that they want. I don’t want that for you.”

“You know what, you make me mad sometimes, Pete! I’m not letting you finish with me—you’re stuck with me forever, babe. I don’t care about kids! Don’t you remember the vows we both made in that chapel? I meant every goddamn word I said to you.” Mike took Pete’s hands again and kissed him.

Pete kissed him back. “I’m sorry, Michael. I was even thinking of telling you we could have an open relationship, that you could date other people, but that you’d have to keep other partners secret from me, as it’d hurt too much to know who else you were seeing.”

“Oh my god, Peter! Listen, it’s just me and you, okay? I don’t want anyone else, and you need to start thinking more about yourself, work on your self-esteem. I need you, and you need me.”

Pete hugged Mike as tightly as he could. “If you ever want out, just tell me. But okay, I’ll try and think more positive. Yes, I need you. Too much, I guess, at times, but I don’t want to be a pain.”

“You never will be, remember that. Believe in yourself for once.” Mike kissed his forehead. “Love you, Pete. I’ve never loved anyone as much as I love you.”

Pete just smiled back at Mike as Mike pulled him down onto the bed, stopping briefly for a minute to lock their bedroom door then coming back over to him. “Now, where was I? One change I think you do need to make, babe, is getting out of those clothes—you’re wearing too many.”

***

Meanwhile, downstairs in the kitchen, Micky had put down a saucer of milk, and some tuna he’d found in the icebox. Davy had followed him, wondering what he was up too.

“Your determined to catch the cat, aren’t you?” Davy asked him.

“Yeah, then we can take it back to its owners and I can prove to you Alex exists, that he’s not in my imagination. You’re making me feel like I’m five again, trying to convince my parents that my friend Andy did exist and was having sleepovers with me. This time, I’m right.”

“Okay, what shall we do then? Just sit here and wait for this cat to come to us?” Davy opened the door to the garage and noticed the basement door was already open.

Nick came and joined them in the kitchen, looking a little flustered

“I think Mike and Pete have sorted things out between themselves, and they’re doing some making up. Well, doing something that I definitely don’t want to hear my brother getting up to. And the screaming and shouting, it’s….” He laughed.

Davy looked back at Nick. “We know just what you mean. They can get very vocal at times. We can put some music on, but I think we’re okay in here. Let’s have a break for a while.”

“Good, you can both help me look for this cat. Davy, search outside front and back of the house; Nick; you look in the garage and I’ll go and check down in the basement,” Micky said.

Micky picked up a flashlight and went downstairs, being as quiet as possible in case anyone else was down there, but there was no sign of life.

Davy looked around outside, checking under bushes and garden furniture. He thought it was pointless as the cat would hear him and stay away.

Nick, however, had a bit more luck—he found the cat lying on top of some boxes fast asleep, so he found an empty one, gently picked the cat up, placed her inside and folded down the box lid so she couldn’t escape. He then shouted to the other two, who appeared pretty quickly.

“Brilliant, Nick. Now all we need to do is return her to her owners. I’m sure Alex will be happy to get her back. Are you both gonna come with me? I reckon Mike and Pete will be busy for a while.”

“Well, I’m going with you for sure. I can’t wait to meet this new friend of yours.” Davy said.

“I’m sure you’ll get on with him. He’s pretty short too—you might even be a centimetre or two taller than him, someone you can look straight in the eyes.” Micky smirked. “Are you coming, Nick?”

They all left together, heading down the street to the sports club, looking for a blue house with white shutters. There were two blue houses, but only one had white window fittings. Micky led them up the path and knocked on the front door, Nick holding the box with the cat in it.

An elderly looking guy opened the door. Micky looked straight at him. “Hello, I’m staying up the road for the summer with my friends, and I met Alex while he was looking for his cat. We’ve found her, so we thought we’d bring her back to you.” He indicated the box Nick was holding.

“We don’t have a cat, and there’s nobody living here called Alex,” the guy said and shut the door.

Micky knocked again and the man re-opened the door. “Listen, young man, I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. There’s only me and my wife living here, and we don’t have any children, so, sorry.”

“I’m sorry about bothering you, but do you know of a young dark-haired boy, about five foot three, around seventeen, I think? Could you have seen him around?” Micky asked politely.

“I can’t help you. We don’t get out much, and I know there’s no one staying in the houses on either side, so I’m afraid I can’t help you. Try the local store—I think there was a poster about a cat.”

“No problem. We’ll leave you in peace. Thank you.” Micky turned around and they all walked back to the house. “We could call the store and tell them we’ve found the missing cat,” Nick suggested.

Davy glared at Micky. “So what do you want to do now? Are you really sure about this kid you claim to have met, Mick? Well if he does exist, he lied to you. Let’s just forget about it. It’s just you getting yourself worked up and confused. Let’s just enjoy the rest of our time here.”

“I’m definitely not imagining anything. I don’t know what to say. We might see him around…well, I hope so. I want to prove to you I’m not lying. Let’s talk to Mike, see what he thinks.”

When they were back inside, Nick contacted the local grocery store and got a number from them so was able the contact the cat’s real owners. Micky and Davy went outside, deciding to go for a swim after they’d changed into swimwear. Davy lent Nick a pair of shorts so he could join them.

Mine and Peter joined them outside about ten minutes later. They sat on the patio chairs, Pete looking a lot better than he had earlier, looking at Mike, smiling.

“I guess you’ve both done plenty of making up…see, Pete, I told you not to worry. Mike seems to have put a big smile on your face. Is everything back to normal with you?” Davy asked.

“We’ve talked, about our feelings for each other, about our future, what we both want and need, and yeah, we both feel the same about one another. I told Pete he was crazy to think I want anyone else but him. We both love each other, don’t we, babe?” Mike said, looking straight at Pete.

Pete gave his dimpled smile. “Yes, things are back to normal. Yes, I was being paranoid. You know what I’m like. I need to be a stronger person. I have things I need to work on, but Mike’s gonna be there for me and is going to help, aren’t you?” Mike nodded and smiled at Pete.

“Of course I am. I love you, Pete. I’m here always by your side, for the good and bad times.”

“That’s good, guys. Well you’ll be pleased to hear we’ve got the cat and managed to find the owners. It’s nothing to do with the kid I found. We went to where he said he lived, and they’d never heard of him, so he lied to me, Mike. I’m wondering now why he was in the basement,” Micky said.

That’s probably something you’ll never know, Mick. You probably scared him off for good. I wouldn’t worry about it. Just go and have fun with Davy—we need to get back to the decorating tomorrow.”

Nick came over and sat with Pete and Mike. He didn’t say a word to Pete, but Mike could see them exchanging looks and expressions with each other like a secret way of communication. Maybe something that stemmed from their childhood, growing up together.

“Pete, why don’t we go in and make a start on dinner? There’s a few things I want to talk about.”

“Sure, Nick. You okay with that, Mike? Stay and enjoy Micky’s and Davy’s company. Nick probably wants to chat about wedding plans, things like that. Family stuff,” Pete said.

“Go on, babe. Leave me alone looking after those two. Guess you’ve some catching up to do with Nick. Take your time, but come here first.” He pulled Pete to him, kissing him strongly.

Pete walked away with Nick, another big dimpled smile on his face, which left Mike looking a little smug and smiling straight back at him.

In the kitchen, Nick started rummaging through the icebox and cupboards, then checked the freezer. He found enough things to come up with a decent dinner. “You still a vegetarian? How about I mix some cheese with the potatoes and cauliflower—will that do for you?”

“Yes, I am, Nick. That’s fine with me, thanks. Want me to start peeling them?”

“Yeah thanks. Glad to see you and Mike have sorted out your differences and things are back to normal—whatever normal is with you two. I’m not sure with those noises I heard, coming from your bedroom.” Nick laughed at a shocked-looking Pete.

“Oh my god, I’m sorry. We just get carried away, I suppose, at times. It’s hard to keep quiet with Mike.”

“I don’t need to hear any details. I heard enough earlier. I just think that tonight I need to sleep in a room well away from your bedroom and I might near some earplugs.” Nick laughed.

Meanwhile, back by the pool, Micky and Davy were messing around, dunking and pulling each other under the water. Micky got out after a while and was looking down at the beach, where he thought he saw a short dark-haired guy. Yeah, he thought, that sure looks like Alex.

Micky and Davy were both sitting chatting on the patio chatting, so Micky tried to get their attention. “Come over here, guys,” he shouted.

The other two walked over to him. “Guys, over there. Look at that kid—that’s Alex! See, I didn’t imagine him, Davy. Let’s go down and talk to him! Come on,” Micky said, running down to the beach with Davy following behind.

Alex must have suspected something, turning and starting to run in the opposite direction to them. Not watching where he was going, he bumped into Mike who stood still directly in front of him, causing Alex to come to an abrupt halt.

“Sorry, kid, you should look where you’re going.” He stalled Alex enough for Micky and Davy to catch up. Micky looked Alex straight in the eyes, but the kid averted his gaze.

“Alex, remember me? It’s Micky. You were in our basement earlier. We stopped off at your house, where you claimed to live, but nobody there knows anything about you! Why on earth did you lie to me? Is Alex even your name?”

“Yeah, my name’s Alex, but I’ve no idea who you are and I’ve never met you before.”

“But we…” Micky just stared at him, then looked from Davy to Mike with a confused look on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

“Why are you lying again? Mike, Davy, I’m telling the truth! We did meet in the basement—he even had a sleeping bag with him, so I think he slept there last night,” Micky pleaded to the others.

“Okay, Alex, if that’s really your name?” Mike asked him. “I wanna know the truth and if not I can soon call the police. Your fingerprints can easily be found in our house, so are you gonna talk, or do you want to do this the hard way? I don’t mind either.” Mike stared at him.

The boy just stood there quietly, three pairs of eyes focused on him. Mike’s glare was the worst. The others knew full well from past experience what Mike could get like when he gave someone _the look._ Mike wasn’t gonna back down to this kid.

“Okay…yes, my name really is Alex. I’d rather not tell you where I live. I’m sorry for causing any trouble. I won’t bother any of you again. Please just let me go. I’ll keep out of your way. I was in the basement looking for my lost cat…I followed it, thinking it was mine. I still need to find her.”

“Well, we’ve found out who the cat belongs to. There was a notice in the local store and its family are coming to pick her up soon, so that’s another lie you’re telling us,” Davy commented.

“Sorry! Please just forget you ever saw me around. Don’t call the police. l’ll disappear and you won’t see me around again. I’m sorry for messing you about, Micky, and I don’t have a cat.”

“So, boy, anything else you got to tell us? Like the real reason you were sleeping our basement? And where your belongings are? Also, who you’re hiding out from? I ain’t stupid, so no messing me around like you did with Micky. I’m not as gullible as him,” Mike said.

Mike could tell the kid was a little intimidated by him. Looking slightly scared, the kid was a skinny little thing, with a messed-up, slept-in-clothes look to him.

“Are you hungry?” Mike asked, trying to gauge the kid’s reaction. He could tell from the glance the boy gave him that he’d hit a nerve. He looked like he’d not been eating well for a few days.

“Do you wanna come and join us for some dinner? It shouldn’t be that long. Listen, you can trust us if you want or need to talk about anything. All we’re asking for is some honesty from you, Alex. There’s clearly something wrong,” Micky asked.

“I guess I could do with something to eat. I’ve been living off snacks and cookies for the past few days and haven’t got too much money left to buy anything. My things are hidden under some bushes around the side of your house. I don’t have a lot,” Alex said.

Mike and Micky followed him to collect his belongings. He had a sleeping bag, a coat and a couple of bags. They helped him take them in the house, telling him to take a seat in the living room. He looked a bit wary of his surroundings and was very quiet again.

“Don’t look so worried. We’re all friends here. Most of us have had problems with our families, some of us more than others. Three of us have moved quite a way from home—Davy here lived in England, Pete’s from Connecticut, Micky’s from LA, and well I’m from Texas, but we all live in South California.”

Nick and Pete brought the dinner over to the table and they all sat down to eat. Alex was just staring at the food, as the others helped themselves, so Mike plated him some food, passing it over.

“Here you are. Just don’t rush it. Take your time. I’ll get you a soda too,” Mike said.

Alex soon polished off the plateful. He must have been starving, the others thought. He did look a little skinny, but it was hard to tell as he wore mainly baggy clothes.

Pete decided to try and talk to him. “Would you maybe like to have a shower or bath? You probably didn’t get one in a while, if you’ve been sleeping rough. We could put some of your clothes in the washing machine too.”

“Thank you, yeah. I do feel a little dirty. It’s okay about my clothes, but I’d like a shower.”

Pete stood up to show him to the downstairs bathroom. Alex picked up his bags and followed him, leaving his coat and sleeping bag behind.

You don’t need to take everything with you. Leave them with the rest of your things. You can trust us, you know, they’ll be safe,” Pete said.

“It’s okay. There’s things in them I need. I might change my clothes, and I’m used to keeping them with me.” He dropped them down on the bathroom floor while Pete got him a towel and showed him what soap and shampoo he could use. Pete heard Alex lock the door after he left the room.

Davy picked up Alex’s coat and started looking in the pockets. He only found a chap stick and a half-eaten pack of Necco wafers. “No clues to who he is, then,” Davy said. “Maybe there’s something in his bags which can tell us something about him?”

“Davy, I told the kid he could trust us and you’re going through his things! Would you be happy if someone did the same to you? I remember when I hitched here—I slept in some rough places and didn’t want to let my possessions out of my sight. You don’t want someone to go through them.”

“Okay, Pete. It’s just we’ve invited him in, fed him, let him clean up and we don’t know anything about him. Are we gonna let him stop overnight? You been thinking about that, Mike?”

“Well what do the rest of you think? We’ve got plenty of room. I don’t think he’ll steal anything. He doesn’t look the type. He’s quiet and nervous. Sleeping rough isn’t good for anyone.”

They took a vote on it with Mike, Pete and Micky willing to give him a chance. Davy was the only one wary and not too sure, and Nick as a guest didn’t want to be part of it.

“Well that’s it. I’ll tell him when he’s finished in the bathroom, he can stay tonight but he’s sleeping on the couch and he better be there in the morning when we get up,” Mike decided.

Alex returned about fifteen minutes later, carrying his bags back with him. He’d changed into a pullover and jeans, baggy clothing again, his hair still damp. He picked up his coat and started to put it on.

“Thanks for that. I feel so much better. And for the food too. I’ll leave now and be on my way, and as I said before, I won’t be bothering any of you again,” Alex said as he started to go to the door.

Mike looked at the others first before he spoke. “We’ve decided between us you can stay tonight. It’s getting late—you can sleep on the couch. I’ll get some blankets, and we expect to see you still here in the morning. You can have some breakfast before you decide what you want to do next, okay?”

“Thank you so much. I’ve not really had a good night’s sleep in days. I’m so grateful. I won’t let you down. I’ll probably be on my way after breakfast, if that’s all right with you,” Alex said.

“I’ll go get some blankets. I’m sure I saw a laundry closet upstairs.” Micky left the room.

“I don’t need blankets. I’ve got my sleeping bag, so that’ll be fine. It’s warm enough. Don’t go to any trouble on my account. You’ve done so much for me already, thanks.”

Mike stood and looked over to Pete, indicating he should follow him to the kitchen. Pete got up and followed him. “What, Michael?” he asked.

“I’m gonna stay down here with him as long as I can, so you can head off to bed anytime you want. I think it’s best that we don’t flaunt ourselves in front of a stranger. We don’t know how he’d react. But come over here now and give me a kiss,” Mike said to Pete.

Pete soon obliged, pressing his lip’s into Mike’s, pushing Mike’s lips open so he could use his tongue to explore Mike’s mouth, making the most of each other while they had some privacy.

“I feel a little awkward because Nick mentioned he heard us earlier in our room. I suppose it’s a little uncomfortable hearing your brother have sex…so maybe tonight we can just snuggle up together? Do you mind? It’s only for one night. He did ask if I wanted to go to New York with him tomorrow to look at suits for the wedding, but I told him no, I’m fine with whatever he picks.”

“No problem, Pete. As long as we’re together, I don’t mind what we do, but you owe me tomorrow night…if we can get the other two out of the house for the evening. I’m glad you said no to going with him, though. I’d miss you too much, even just for one day.”

“Okay. I know what you mean. Maybe we persuade them to ask Maria and Ginny out to the movies or a diner. If I know the girls, they’ll be up for a night out with them.” Pete laughed.

“I’ll see what cash I can give them…how long we can pay them to stay out. We could spend some time together in the hot tub then straight up to the bedroom. Mmm, sounds good.”

“Get a pizza delivered for dinner too—remember Gran gave us some more money for groceries and things. I’m sure the others won’t mind if they’re eating out, but it sounds like a perfect night, just for the two of us. Oooh I can’t wait. I’m gonna hold you to that, to everything,” Pete said.

“Don’t worry—that’s a promise, babe. We better go back in there. The others will be wondering what we’re up to. Come on,” Mike said.

“I can check on Alex early on. I’m gonna get up to see Nick off in the morning. He wants to leave about seven—he doesn’t want to get stuck in traffic trying to get into the city.”

“I’ll get up with you. We can have breakfast on our own. I’ll cook you some pancakes or french toast, anything you want. You gonna head off to bed soon? I just saw that yawn.”

They both went back into the living room just as Nick was about to go upstairs. “I’ll see you early in the morning, Pete. Not looking forward to that drive and I’m getting tired. Good night, guys.”

“I’m coming up too. You know which room we put your things in, the one we haven’t started the painting in yet. I moved things around for you.”

Nick nodded at Pete.

Micky and Davy soon went off to bed, leaving Mike alone with Alex. Mike was reading through some magazines they’d got at the airport, watching Alex out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m gonna try and get some sleep. Could you turn the light off, please?” Alex said, lying on the couch and pulling his sleeping bag and the blankets over him, not bothering to get undressed. Mike thought the kid might be a little embarrassed to get changed in front of him.

As soon as Mike heard Alex softly snoring not much later, he decided to head off to bed himself after checking all the doors to outside were locked—they didn’t want Alex running off in the night.

Mike was soon slipping into bed beside a sleeping Peter. He cuddled up and pulled Pete close to him, kissing his cheek, and soon fell asleep himself.

When Nick got up about six o’clock, Alex was still soundly asleep on the couch, so he moved around as quietly as he could, leaving his bags near the front door. He went and started the coffee machine and sat in the kitchen.

Pete and Mike were up not much later. Mike checked on Alex first before he joined Nick and Pete in the kitchen. Pete had poured him a coffee when he got there and was making himself a cup of tea.

“Thanks, babe. Either of you want any breakfast? I promised Pete pancakes or french toast, and we do have some bacon as well.” Mike started getting out the ingredients.”

“I’m okay. I just had coffee and cereal,” Nick said. “I’m gonna be making a start on my journey soon, not looking forward to a day full of shopping with four women for wedding things.”

“It’s your own fault, proposing to Claire, so no one to blame but yourself! Go for dark suits. Then we can get more use out of them. Nothing too bright. Claire will want to be the one to stand out.”

“Sure. Well, I hope to see you guys again before the wedding, but all four of you are invited. There’s plenty of room for you to stay back home. Mom and I will deal with Dad. Bye for now, Pete.”

Pete saw Nick off and then came back to the kitchen, where Mike was just plating up their breakfast, enjoying some alone time before the others decided to get up. The peace didn’t last long when they heard a noise coming from the living room and Alex walked into the kitchen.

“You want some breakfast?” Mike asked. “Help yourself to the coffee, and we’ve got cereal, bread for toast, orange juice and fruit.” Mike watched as he got some cereal and a glass of juice.

Pete went into the living room after about ten minutes and found Davy in there. He was opening up one of Alex’s bags to have a look inside. Taking out a few T-shirts, he looked shocked on seeing Pete.

“Davy, put the clothes back in his bag. You wouldn’t like it if someone was going through your belongings! That’s all he seems to have. He seems to trust us too, and you’ll soon spoil that and he’ll just run off and head God knows where. Would you wanna be living rough like he is?”

“No, Pete, sorry, but we might be able to find something out about him. He could have some details about his family—don’t you think they could be worried about where he is?” Davy zipped the bag back up.

It was a good job he had as Mike and Alex came in the room just a few minutes later. Davy tried to look like he’d just been chatting to Pete. “Hey, Alex, I noticed something about your coat—it reminds me of my childhood. It’s a girl’s. Have you got older sisters?”

“Yeah, one sister. I must have taken her coat by mistake when I left home,” Alex said.

“I had three older sisters back in Manchester and often had to wear clothes that had been handed down through them, more so coats, as they were quite expensive. Don’t worry. It’s not that noticeable.”

“No problem. I’m going to get my things together and head off. Thanks for everything. You’ve been so kind. I had the best night’s sleep in ages and thanks for breakfast too.”

He put on his coat, rolled up his sleeping bag and picked up his belongings. Mike looked at the other two. Pete look worried, Davy didn’t look too bothered as he took off into the kitchen, but Mike knew Pete was thinking the same way as him, so spoke up first.

“Listen, Alex, you can stay tonight if you’d like to?” He looked over and saw Pete smiling at him. “We can take one day at a time, okay? We’re not forcing you to if you don’t want to, though.”

They were interrupted by a knock on the front door. Micky must have been getting up as he answered it and brought Ginny and Maria in with him.

“Morning, everyone. Girls, this is Alex. Alex, meet Maria and Ginny, Pete’s cousins from Connecticut. They live down the road, staying with relatives for summer.” They all acknowledged one another, saying hello. Ginny stared at him, looking a little confused.

Maria spoke first. “We were wondering if any of you guys want to come to the sports club with us? Some of the local kids have challenged the visiting kids to various team games—volleyball, basket and baseball. We need more guys in the visitors’ team. Any of you guys up for it?”

Micky and Davy, who was now back in the room, looked at Mike with pleading eyes. “Can we go, Mike? I’m sure you and Peter will get so much more done without us in the way,” Davy said.

“You can come with us too if you want, Alex. Have you got any suitable clothes?” Micky asked him.

“If that’s okay, I will join you. Yeah, I think I have some shorts and some sweatshirts.” He started going through his bag, but he watched Davy looking at him, a little wary of the Brit.

“Don’t you have any T-shirts? You’ll probably be too hot in a sweater,” Ginny asked him.

The boys went and got changed, Alex did find a T-shirt, and both that and his shorts were baggy and loose on him. “I guess I’ve lost some weight. I haven’t been eating a lot over the past week.”

They all arrived at the club and joined in with the other kids in a volleyball game. The locals were very competitive but having had lots of practice back home, Micky and Davy helped their team to a win. The next competition was basketball, which the other team won, having an advantage of taller kids.

They choose to play baseball next. The teams were a bit more evenly matched. Micky had played at school and was put to use as the pitcher. He soon got the opponents’ team reduced and was even better at batting. Davy found he was pretty good at that too. Their team won, choosing to play water volleyball.

Alex decided to sit out, saying he wasn’t good in the water and he was quite short. He sat by the pool to watch the others play. The girls joined in with another guy and one of their friends. The visitors soon won this game, so now their team had won overall. They’d already decided the losers bought dinner for the winners at the diner in the evening. Soon the visitors started to celebrate. Maria, Ginny and their friend dived into the pool, soon followed by Davy and Micky.

Alex got in the way when the younger Monkees dived in. Getting wet from the splash the pair made, he panicked, looking very worried all of a sudden, and ran off to the changing rooms.

Micky climbed out of the pool and ran after him, finding him locked in a cubicle. “Are you okay, Alex?” He threw a towel over the door to him. “Come on out. Everything’s okay”

“I can’t. You’re gonna be mad with me. Promise you won’t shout,” Alex asked in a nervous voice.

He walked out of the cubicle holding the towel in front of him. Micky approached. “Let’s get you out of this wet T-shirt.” He started to pull it up, and Alex tried to stop him.

“Please, no, don’t!” he pleaded.

Micky soon understood why when he saw what Alex was wearing under his top. Micky stood back in shock, which gave Alex a chance to make a run for it. He ran straight out of the changing room, nearly knocking Davy over on his way out.


	11. Chapter 11

Mike and Pete were upstairs, starting to put up the wallpaper in the second bedroom when they heard the front door slam, and a few minutes later bang shut. They went downstairs to see what had happened just as Micky and Davy came up to the house. Mike saw Alex running off in the distance. They checked in the living room and all his things were gone.

Mike looked at both of them. “What on earth’s happened? Why’s he run away? Do either of you know what’s the matter with him? He left here in a good mood—we told him he could sleep here tonight.”

“I’ve no idea,” Davy said. “He nearly knocked me flying when he ran out of the changing room. He’d run into there after getting wet when Micky and I caused a big splash diving into the pool. Up to that, everything was good and he was enjoying himself, although he sat out of the water volleyball game.”

Micky spoke before Mike could ask anything else. “I tried to get Alex to take his soaked T-shit off and, well, I got quite a surprise when I pulled it up. You know we might have thought Alex was short for Alexander? Well it’s not: Alex is short for Alexandra—Alex is a girl!”

“Wow! No wonder she didn’t want people touching her things. She locked the bathroom door when she showered, and you noticed she had a girl’s coat, didn’t you, Davy? She probably thinks we’re angry with her lying. She must be scared again on her own,” Pete said, looking worried.

“I’m gonna go look for her. I was the one who upset her. I don’t know why she never told us the truth in the first place. We’d have been okay with it,” Micky said to the others.

“It’s hard for a guy sleeping rough. I did it a few times—a girl on her own on the streets would attract the wrong attention from the wrong type of guys. I’ll come with you, Mick. She can’t have gone far.”

“Thanks, Pete…well, Davy, Mike, you gonna come and help us?”

Both the others nodded, and they set off in pairs in different directions. Mike went with Davy to search in the street and Micky and Pete went together to search around the beach area.

Micky thought he and Pete had the advantage over the others. Mike and Davy were sulkers, going to their rooms when in a bad mood, but Micky, when upset, did stupid spur-of-the-moment things, and Pete? Well he cried and went off to hide away from the other guys. Micky thought that could help them and of course Pete had stayed in the area many times in the past.

“Now, Pete, where would you go if you were upset and wanted no one to find you?” Micky asked.

“Well, there were quite a few places I used to hide…there’s some caves down there on the right, some beach huts that aren’t always occupied, the sand dunes and up by the general store.”

“We’ll check out those places. I’ll follow you, as you know the area better than any of us.” He could see some beach huts not too far away. They looked around them, finding every one locked up.

Micky followed Pete through the sand dunes down to the caves, which were pretty much like the ones near the pad. They decided to separate so they could look around them quicker. Micky was secretly hoping Pete would find Alex first as he was much better at talking to people. Micky wasn’t as sensitive as Pete was—he was the guy who cheered people up, made them laugh.

Davy and Mike were checking if Alex had gone back to the sports club and was hiding out there. They could see plenty of suitable places. They’d bumped into the girls, who were now helping them search. They looked around and asked other people, but there was no sign of her.

Mike was hoping the others found Alex, with the mood Davy was in. He was ready to shout as he was angry that they’d been lied to, and was in the mood for a fight. The girls could be an advantage. It would be easier for Alex to talk to other girls around her age.

Maria looked surprised when they said Alex was a girl, but Ginny didn’t look as shocked. “She looked familiar to me. I nearly asked if he had a sister,” she said.

Back on the beach, Pete and Micky were still searching in the various caves, finding them empty. Micky went into one and heard a noise that sounded like someone moving around. If there was anyone else in there, they didn’t have a way out without Micky seeing them.

“I can hear you! Come on out and show yourself. There’s no escape and there’s no reason to be scared. No one is gonna hurt you or be mad. Alex, are you hiding back there?”

Alex suddenly appeared from farther back in the cave. She looked like she’d been crying. She walked nearer to Micky, looking nervous and not sure what to say, so Micky decided to speak first.

“Listen, come on over here and sit down with me.” He sat cross-legged on the sand, looking briefly behind him, hoping Pete would show up soon.

“I’m not mad or angry with you. I guess you had your reasons for pretending to be a guy, and I won’t pressure you to tell me anything you don’t want to, but I’m here if you do want to talk. Any of the four of us will listen to you. We’ve all been looking for you, since you ran off.”

“I’m sorry for lying to you all. It’s just easier to let people think I’m a guy. I didn’t pretend at first, but a guy tried to hit on me one evening when I was hiding behind the store and I got scared—he was a big guy. I didn’t know what he was going to do to me, so I ran. That’s when I saw the hatch open to the basement of where you’re staying. I’d been there a few nights when you first saw me.”

“I thought I heard noises, but the others thought I was hearing things. Then when we found the cat, we thought she was the cause of them,” Micky said.

“The cat kept me company. She was warm and friendly, didn’t judge me or answer back. I’m glad she’s back with her owners. I had a cat back home but had to leave her behind.”

“When did you leave home?” Micky asked. “Where did you live and how long did it take you to get here? And why here—do you really have family around this area?”

“I lived in Westbury. It’s just outside New York. I left just over a week ago. This older couple gave me a lift most of the way. I only had to walk for about an hour. I told them I was staying with my gran for some of the summer. My gran does live around here, but her house was empty and all locked up.”

“So you’ve been staying the night wherever you can? It’s not safe on the streets, you know. Up here is probably better than some places, but I know I wouldn’t want one of my sisters sleeping rough.”

“I lied to Davy—I don’t have a sister. I’m an only child. There was just me and my dad at home. Things weren’t good…he drinks a lot…well, more so since he lost his job and Mom left us. She promised to come back for me, but that was over six months ago. I couldn’t take any more.”

“Your dad didn’t hit you, did he? Did he ever hurt you?” Micky looked worried what she might say.

“No, he never hit me. He wasn’t violent. Mentally he hurt me, but that was probably because of the booze. That’s why mom left—he started drinking when he was laid off nearly a year ago. He’s quite a bit older than Mom and thought no one else would give him another job. He was a college professor, and the college lost quite a few staff: kids were going to better colleges in the city.”

“I miss my dad. He passed away a few years back, and my mom got remarried. My stepdad’s a good guy. I have three younger sisters. Coco’s about your age—she turned eighteen last year.”

“I wish I had a brother or sister. I wouldn’t mind either. Being an only child isn’t fun. It’s lonely. My dad’s attitude to me changed when Mom left. He expected me to cook, clean and look after him like Mom had done. He’d get angry and shout and throw things at me if I didn’t do things the way he expected. He was rarely sober.”

“Mike’s an only child. His dad left him and his mom when he was really young. Davy lost his mom when he was fourteen. His dad’s not too well. He’s like me with three sisters, but he’s the youngest.”

“I miss my mom. Not knowing where she is hurts so much. That’s why I’ve come to see my gran, to see if she can contact her for me, or I could stay with her,” Alex said. “I wish I knew where my gran was. I keep checking her house daily.”

“Pete’s got both his parents, but his dad’s kinda disowned him and his sister too. Annie’s eighteen and she lives with us. Her partner too. She’s got twin babies, a girl and a boy. You met Nick, one of his two younger brothers. It’s his gran’s house we’re staying in. She lives in New York.”

“So none of you have perfect families. I guess not many people do. I recognised one of the girls we were at the sports club with…Ginny, was it? I remembered her from last summer. Davy didn’t look too happy when I nearly knocked him over. I hope the others aren’t too mad with me.”

“Don’t worry about the others. I’ll talk to them. Pete’s worried about you. He knows what it’s like to sleep rough. Mike does have a softer side. Pete can win him round and Davy…well, he’ll calm down.”

They were interrupted by Pete walking into the cave. “Is everything okay? Do you want to be left alone? I could go find the others and tell them you’ve found her.”

“No, it’s okay. I don’t mind. It’s better that you all know the truth. Micky and I were talking about families. He told me all about yours and the others—you all seem like a family, all brothers.”

“I guess we are. Nick, my brother, is getting married on New Year’s Eve, and I’ve got to go home to face my family as he’s asked me to be his best man. I’m not looking forward to seeing my dad. He doesn’t like that I’m a musician, a hippy, my lifestyle and that Mike and I are together. You okay with that?”

“I’m fine. I could tell there was something between you, if I’m honest. You don’t have to hide your feelings in front of me. I’ve seen plenty of different kind of people in the city.” Alex laughed.

“There you are! It’s good to see you smile and laugh. Pete here cries enough for all of us. You should see him at sad films, sobbing like a baby. He’s just too sensitive. He’s the eldest of us as well, but you wouldn’t think it though. Davy’s the youngest, and him and Mike are the stubborn ones. I’m the joker of the group. Yeah, we’re all in a band called the Monkees, spelt with two es and no y.”

“Hey, Mike’s getting less stubborn…well, sometimes, but he shows a different side to me, and I cry less than I used too. Micky’s the one to cheer anyone up…yeah, I guess we’re an odd family unit.”

“Do you want to head back to the house with us? Remember we said you could stay tonight. I’m gonna help you look for your gran too. We could ask Pete’s aunts. They’re staying around here at the moment and you could always ring your gran too, Pete?”

“Yeah, my gran’s been coming to the family house for years. She knows a lot of the summer vacation residents. Just let us know her surname. The staff in the local store might know where she is.”

“Thanks so much, guys. I’m really grateful for everything you’ve done for me. I wish there was some way I could repay you. I could always cook and clean for you, if you want—it’s what I’m used to doing at home.” She moved over and gave Micky a hug. “I’d love for you to be my big brother. Your sisters are so lucky.”

“Thanks, Alex. Coco might not agree with you, though—she calls me her annoying big brother. Let’s go. Pete and I will carry your bags. Get your coat and sleeping bag,” Micky said.

They all started to take a slow walk back to the house, calling at the store first. Micky bought some chocolate and a bottle of soda, passing them over to Alex. She quickly ate the chocolate bar and drank most of the soda, offering some to Pete and Micky, who declined a drink.

“You know, my dad’s even put a stop to me going to college. I got accepted by a community college in New York, same as my friend, Ruth, but he called them up and told them I’d changed my mind, and wasn’t bothering going any further with my education. I hated him for that.”

“That’s not good. I went to college but dropped out, so did Mike and Pete…well, Pete flunked out twice, and Davy left school early in England too. But we don’t want normal jobs—we pick up casual work when we need the extra cash for bills and things.”

“Couldn’t you try the college again? Explain it was your dad? They might let you go, even help you find a room in a dorm. Why’s he so against you going?” Pete asked.

“I think it’s because he got laid off when the college he worked at got shut down. He was a history professor—education was his life and he thinks it gave up on him, so it’s just a waste now.”

“I know what it’s kinda like. My dad’s a college professor in economics and Mom teaches English lit. It was expected I’d follow them in a similar path, but that wasn’t for me. My brother Nick’s an English teacher so he’s made them happy, but for me, music is what I wanted to do,” Pete said.

They soon arrived back at the house, noticing the others had already returned and were making a start on a late lunch, just sandwiches and chips. “There’s plenty to go round,” Mike said. “Help yourself. Davy and the girls are out of the patio. Everything okay with you now, Alex?”

Alex half smiled and nodded. “Yes, thanks. I’ve had a good chat with Micky, got things out in the open and he’s gonna help me find my gran.” She grabbed a few sandwiches and went outside. She sat near Ginny and apologised once again to Davy and the sisters. Davy just stared back.

Inside, Mike was chatting to Micky. “You persuaded her to stay tonight then? We can take it day by day from there until we find her gran. Has she any other relatives?”

“Just the dad she ran away from and her mom who left them about six months ago. She thinks her gran knows how she can find her mom. I think that’s who she really needs, to see her mom again. Pete’s gonna ask his aunts and call his gran to see if they can help in any way,” Micky said.

“Good, well, we’ll make sure she feels wanted here and help her until we find anything out. Only thing is I don’t think Davy’s feeling the same way as us, you know, wanting to help the kid out.”

Davy walked into the kitchen. “Why should we want to help her? She could have just told you more lies again, Micky. You and Pete are too gullible—you’d believe anything and Pete’s too soft and easily taken in by people.”

“Davy, I think she’s really telling the truth this time. Just give her a second chance and help us to help find her gran, please?” Micky begged him.

Pete was already on the phone to his gran, asking her about Alex’s gran. Luckily she’d told them her name so they had an idea of who they were searching for.

“Sorry, Micky, I don’t agree with you, and when Pete has finished on the phone, I’m gonna call the police. We can let them deal with her, take her back home. She’s not our problem, okay?” Davy stated to two very shocked faces.


	12. Chapter 12

Micky looked Davy straight in the eyes. “You can’t do that! I promised that we’d help her, so no way are we calling the police. I won’t let you. Mike, please, tell him we can’t do that to her.”

“Micky, I can understand why Davy wants to do this. Her family are probably worried where she is, and the police will find them much quicker than we ever could. I can also see why you want to help her too, but as Davy says, how do we know she’s telling the truth this time?”

“She really opened up to me, guys. We can’t send her back to her dad—he’s the reason she ran away in the first place. He’s a drunk who treats her like a slave, and he’s put a stop to her going to college. Wait until Pete’s finished on the phone. Her gran lives around here and Pete’s gran might know where.”

“Okay, let’s wait to see if Pete finds anything out. Davy, you cool with that for now?” Mike asked him.

“I guess so, but if he doesn’t have any luck today, I’ll be calling the police first thing in the morning. You’ve already told her she can stay the night, haven’t you, Mike? We don’t want her running off.”

They all sat, waiting for Pete to finish on the phone, which took a while, as he also called his aunt and a few leads he was given to try. After checking them out, he can back and joined the others.

“Okay. I’ve called both my gran and Aunts Rosa and Alicia. They’ve heard of her gran and yes, she has a house locally. It’s near the general store. Aunt Alicia told me that Mrs Barker, Alex’s gran, was taken into hospital just under a week ago. Nothing too serious—she had a fall.”

Micky interrupted Pete. “See! I said she was telling the truth! Go on, Pete.”

“So I called the hospital and Mrs Barker was released from there two days ago. She was stable enough to go home as long as she stayed with someone. Her only daughter picked her up and took her home to stay with her. Aunt Alicia gave me Mrs Barker’s address and she thinks one of the women in the store knows where her daughter lives.”

“That’s good, Pete.” Micky looked happy. “So we need to go to the store and ask this woman what she knows and hope she can help us find Alex’s mom—can we have a bit more time, Davy?”

The girls were outside, finishing their lunch, and Maria and Ginny were trying to encourage Alex to talk to them a bit more, trying to make friends with her and show her she could trust them.

“Alex, are you still coming out with us tonight to the diner? The locals are buying dinner for us, remember. There’ll be a good crowd of us. We’ll introduce you properly to everyone, and don’t care what anyone thinks about what happened earlier—we’re not bothered,” Maria said.

“We’re kinda paired up with Micky and Davy…you weren’t interested in either of them, were you?” Ginny asked her. “Mike and Peter are off-limits too. You know they’re together, don’t you?”

“My answer’s no to your first question, and yes to the second. Pete told me earlier, and I’m cool with that. I’ve never had a boyfriend myself. Dad wouldn’t let me. He said schoolwork was more important, which is ironic as now he’s stopped me going to college,” Alex said to them.

Ginny laughed at her sister. “Maria sulked a little when she found out about Mike and Peter, after catching them in bed together. She later said to me, now what was it…yeah, the best-looking guy of the four and I can’t believe my cousin got in there first, my male cousin too. All the guys are pretty cool though. I love Davy’s accent and some of the odd things he comes out with.”

“I don’t think Davy likes me very much, but I understand why. I lied to them a bit when I first met them. I didn’t want them to find out much about me. I didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for me.”

“I’m sure he’ll come around. He’s a decent guy. The others say he’s a bit of a ladies’ man, goes from one girl to the next. That doesn’t bother me. We’re just having fun, nothing serious,” Ginny said.

Micky came out to check on Alex and also to let her know what Pete had found out from talking to his gran and aunt. She seemed to be getting on with the other girls. Maria and Ginny said they were going home to get ready and they’d be back in an hour to pick them up.

“Alex, Pete called his gran and aunts. They’ve been holidaying here for a good few years and they know of your gran, Mrs Barker, and where she lives, so we know you’re not lying about this. Well, your gran was admitted to hospital after having a fall about a week ago. She’s okay though—she was discharged a few days ago.”

“Why isn’t she at home then? I’ve been to the house. I checked yesterday and when I ran off earlier and the house was empty and locked up.”

“Pete spoke to someone at the local hospital who said she left with her daughter, which I think could be your mom? Sounds like she’s staying with her, but they didn’t have an address. But Pete’s aunt, the girls’ mom, thinks there’s a woman in the local store who knows your mom.”

“Oh my god, I could be so close to Mom! I need to find them. Please say you’ll help me, Micky?”

“Of course I will. I promise, Alex, but I hope you’ll stay with us until we find her for you. I’ll look after you. Don’t worry. I’m here for you, and if you want to talk about anything as well. Remember that.” Micky pulled her into another hug.

“Thanks, Micky. You give great hugs, and I’m so glad you’re gonna help me, and I promise to be honest and talk to you, not hiding anything else.”

“So are you coming out tonight with us to the diner to celebrate the win at the sports center? Why don’t you go get changed? Maria and Ginny will be back with the car soon to pick us up, and I think Pete and Mike are hoping for some time on their own tonight,” Micky said.

“Sure, I’ll change. I do have some of my normal girl’s clothes with me.”

They both headed into the house to get ready. Davy was already in the living room, changed and waiting for them, but Mike and Pete had gone to do a bit more of the decorating. Alex took a dress from her bag and went to change in the bathroom and Micky went upstairs.

Davy decided to check through Alex’s things again. Finding a notebook in one of the bags, he wrote down the details of her home address and phone number. He thought it might come in useful. Surely her dad would be worried and be glad to hear she was okay, and he probably wasn’t as bad as she made out. He’d get up early and give him a call in the morning before the others got up.

After Micky had changed, he went to find Mike and Pete. “We’re going out soon to the diner with the girls and some other guys from the sports club. I’ve persuaded Alex to come with us as well, so you’ve got the house to yourselves for a while. Behave yourselves.” He laughed.

He went downstairs to the living room. Davy was sitting on the couch just as Alex came out of the bathroom, finally looking like a girl in a dress and a jacket. She looked totally different.

“Do I look okay?” she asked “My hair’s a mess. I cut most of it off after the incident outside the store. I had long hair before. I’ll get used to it short, I guess.”

Suddenly there was a knock at the front door and Maria let herself in, shouting to them, “Are you ready, guys? I’ve got the car waiting outside, and Ginny’s with me. Come on.”

They were all soon at the diner with the crowd of kids from the sports club, eating junk food and listening to records on the jukebox, having fun. Alex seemed to be enjoying herself, now she was perhaps being more herself, but Micky also noticed that Davy was watching her a lot too.

“Everything okay with you, Davy?” Micky asked him.

“Fine. Why shouldn’t it be?” Davy answered.

Micky didn’t like it when Davy was in a bad mood. He was more stubborn than normal. He’d ask Mike to have a word with him when they got back later. Maybe he could reason with him.

Davy was watching Alex too. She looked like she didn’t have a care in the world, just a typical teenage girl, talking about clothes and listening to music with the other girls in the crowd. He was positive there was more to her than what she’d told them about herself.

Davy decided to act as if he wasn’t bothered by things. He didn’t want Micky getting suspicious. “How long do you think we should give Mike and Pete together before we head back?”

“I’m not sure. They probably went straight to their bedroom the minute they heard us leave. I locked the doors and have a set of keys, as I doubt they’ll be listening out for us returning. Knowing them, they’ll be at it all night and won’t even hear us getting back in, if you know what I mean.”

“Okay, Mick…not something I really want to be picturing in my mind right now. I’m gonna ask Ginny if she wants to stay over tonight—why don’t you ask Maria? I bet she be up for it.” Davy laughed.

“You’re just horny and jealous that Mike and Pete have been getting more action than you lately. Thinking of them…well…it’s getting you in that kind of mood, Davy. I know you too well.”

“Hey, I was given a few phone numbers at the sports club yesterday. Maybe I can arrange a few dates. One of the girls even asked about you, Mick. How about it? We can go on a double date. All I need to do is give the girl a call. Tomorrow night, maybe?”

“No, I don’t think so. I’m enjoying the time with Maria, even though I know it won’t last, but I think I want to have a relationship that lasts a bit longer this time. So when we get home, you never know, the next girl I meet might just be the one.”

“Oh my god! You’re all getting boring, wanting to settle down. I can understand it of Pete and Mike. They’re older and, well, Pete’s not experienced with anyone else. God, he’s missed out on so much, and it’s easier for them being friends first and living together, but you…well, I’m surprised,” Davy said.

***

Meanwhile back at the house, Mike and Pete were making the most of being alone. First, they shared a bubble bath in the jacuzzi tub, getting so relaxed they nearly fell asleep. They dried off and made it to the bedroom, where Mike stared at Pete with a wicked lustful look in his eyes. He dragged Pete over to the bed, pulled him down and pressed his lips to Pete’s, encouraging them to open with his tongue.

  
They devoured each other’s mouth until they needed to break apart for breath. Mike lay on top of Pete and felt their heartbeats pounding together as if in tune with each other, just like they were on stage. A perfect match, Mike thought.

He moved down Pete’s body with his tongue, caressing his neck and giving a gentle bite to each nipple, followed by a lick of his tongue, like painting a stripe across them. He moved down to his navel, poking in his tongue tip, and gently blowing. He could tell Pete was enjoying this. Mike knew how to please his partner just with simple ways of showing his love for him.

By now Pete’s cock was hard and erect, his arousal causing the precum that Mike couldn’t resist.,He took Pete’s whole length into his mouth in one breath his nose hitting the dark-blond pubic hair on Pete’s groin. Mike winked up at Pete, removing his mouth to replace it with one of his hands. Using his tongue to lick up and down the shaft, swirling his tongue around the slit of the head. Mike sucked the tip, taking Pete’s cock in fully until he felt him at the back of his throat, sucking in his cheeks. Pete started to thrust in and out of Mike’s mouth.

Pete grabbed Mike’s hair as he felt himself coming undone. Mike could always get Pete going quickly. “Oh my god, you’re so good. I love you so much, Michael, you’re my everything,” he shouted as he felt his climax approaching. He shouted out Mike’s name as he came in bursts down Mike’s throat, Mike swallowing everything, drawing everything out until Pete was spent. He crawled up beside Pete, pulling him close, and smiled when he went to kiss him, letting Pete taste himself. He mouthed _love you too_ to him as he hugged him.

Pete stared dreamily into his eyes. “What d’you wanna do now? You want a blow job or do you wanna fuck me? How about I climb on top and ride my Texan cowboy?” Pete laughed “I’m up for anything you want and I can see something else that’s erect and ready for anything.”

“Oh, Peter…what do you do to me? I can’t get enough of you.”

Mike was surprised as Pete straddled him and slowly slid down his cock, taking every inch and settling on top of him. “Shame you don’t have a Stetson, but just settle back and let me please you, babe.” Pete decided to take control and started to move up and down on Mike’s cock, pumping his hips forwards and backwards, also clenching himself as he moved, determined to give Mike as much pleasure as Mike gave him. Mike thrust as much as he could, angling himself so every third or so thrust stroked Pete’s prostate, making Pete scream for him, the perfect sound Mike loved to hear.

Mike was glad they had the place to themselves as he was sure he’d never heard Pete get so loud and vocal. This sweet, innocent guy never stopped surprising him. Pete lifted himself so he was just barely touching the tip of Mike’s cock. He took hold of it with one hand, gave him a light stroke, then let go, sinking straight back down so he was sitting in Mike’s lap. He leaned down to kiss Mike.

“Pete, you feel so good, so tight, I’m not gonna last much longer if you keep going like this.” This encouraged Pete to start riding him up and down again, Mike’s hips moving, thrusting to meet Pete’s movements. God, Pete was riding him like his life depended on it. He soon felt Pete tighten his muscles again, causing Mike’s mind to explode in a white flash as he climaxed into Pete. He was panting now, stroking Pete’s face that was red and flushed. Pete pulled himself off Mike, more or less collapsing on top of him, breathing deeply, with the huge smile on his face showing his dimple

“Babe, that was…perfect, just like you. You’ve wrung me out. I don’t think I can move. Next time, I’ll let you wear one of my Stetsons, because you sure know how to give me a good ride.”

Pete moved to Mike’s side, laying his head on Mike’s shoulder and running his fingers through Mike’s chest hair. “You’re my teddy bear, warm, snuggly and furry and something I like to keep a tight hold of when I’m in bed. You make me feel safe when I’m with you,” Pete said.

“Pete, you’re so sweet, with the look of an innocent angel, but the dirty mind of a cheeky devil.”

“But would you want me any other way, Michael? We’re good together. I waited and kept myself for someone special like you. I still can’t believe that you wanted me too. Can I ask you something?”

“Course you can, Pete. What is it, babe?” Mike said, smiling down at him.

“I want to please you. I wanna make love to you. Will you let me? Will you be patient with me, as it will be so different as well you know? I’ve learned enough from you, but I don’t have the experience of ever having sex with a woman… I want it to be special our first time,” Pete asked a little nervously.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find a time we can be on our again and make it special, like my first time with you. I’m looking forward to it. Every time with you is perfect. I can’t wait for you to make love to me. It’ll make me love you even more, if that was possible.”

Mike sat up. “I’m thirsty. Gonna go down and get a beer. You wanna drink? I’ll bring you one up,” he said, pulling on a pair of pants and bending down to kiss Pete on his forehead.

“A soda or milk would be great.” Pete pulled Mike close to kiss him. “Don’t be too long—part of me’s getting excited already with the thought of you.” He lifted the sheets to show Mike how his cock was getting hard and ready again.

“Promise, babe. Don’t go falling asleep before I get back.” He gently took Petes cock into his hand, lovingly giving it a few strokes. Leaving Pete wanting more, he left to go downstairs.

He heard Pete sighing as he shut the door. He was in the kitchen, opening his bottle of beer, when the front door opened and the others returned. Davy, Alex and the girls stayed in the living room. Micky went into the kitchen. Seeing Mike in there, he smiled and winked at him.

“Had a good night, Mike? Or do I need to ask? With the look on your face, you look like a cat that’s just got the cream! It’s good to see you happy and smiling. Pete’s good for you, just as you are for him.”

“Did you have a good night? Did you get Alex to have some fun? She looked a little happier earlier, knowing she had a chance of finding her mom.”

“She seems okay. Mike, do you mind if Maria and Ginny stay over? It’s not as if you can complain—you’ve got sex on tap whenever you want it, lucky you. I will warn you Davy’s not in the best of moods. I hope he forgot about his idea of calling the police.”

“Fine by me. Just make sure you’re careful. I’m going back upstairs. Pete’s waiting for me and I don’t want him falling asleep before, well… See you in the morning. Night, Mick.”

“Night. Mike…try and keep the noise down.”

When he went back into the living room, there was only Alex about. She was just settling herself on the couch. “The others have gone upstairs. Maria says she’ll be in your room. Night, Micky.”

He said good night to Alex and went up to his room. Davy was in the en suite of his room, looking at the phone number he’d taken out of his pants pocket. He’d already set the alarm so he could be up early to make the call before the others got up.

Mike went back into his room and found Pete sitting up in bed, looking happy to see him. He gave Pete his soda, took another drink of his beer and put it down on the bedside table. He pulled the covers up and admired Pete naked and all ready for him to take advantage of.

Pete had a wicked look on his face. He reached under Mike’s pillow. “Look what I found…you never told me you were into things like this, but I’m willing to try anything—that’s if you want to.” He winked at Mike, dangling the pair of handcuffs he’d found in front of him with an excited look on his face.

“You’re a naughty boy. I guess I’ve got to punish you for going through my bag.” Mike handcuffed one of Pete’s wrists to the headboard. “Now, what you’re planning to do next I don’t know, but you’re my prisoner now and you’re gonna get everything you deserve, so just lie back and enjoy it.”


	13. Chapter 13

Davy sneaked downstairs early in the morning, checking around to make sure no one else was up. He put the kettle on to make some tea. Alex was still fast asleep on the couch. He’d calmed down a bit after spending the night with Ginny, but hadn’t changed his mind. Well, he had kind of, but that was about calling the police. He picked up the phone in the kitchen and dialled the number on the paper he held, waiting for someone to answer at the other end.

A man said hello and said he was Mr. Richards and asked who was calling him. Davy explained who he was and where he was calling from, and that he knew where his daughter was. The man seemed genuinely interested when Davy mentioned Alex. He said he’d been worried and missing her so much. He’d called the police and they’d had no luck locating her.

Mr Richards asked if they could make sure she stayed there a while and he would get up there as soon as he could, but did state it might be tomorrow, but he was so glad that he knew at least his daughter was safe and well. He asked Davy not to tell Alex, just in case she disappeared again.

Davy hung up the phone and went to make his tea. He looked out into the living room, relieved that Alex was still sleeping on the couch. He finished his drink and went back to bed.

He’d just gone in his bedroom when he heard Micky and Maria come out of the other room. “I’ll see you later, Micky,” she said as they went downstairs. “Sorry I’ve got to leave so early. I’m waiting on a call doing about a work placement to go with my college work and it’s really important.”

They said their goodbyes and Micky went back upstairs. Thinking he heard movement from Mike and Pete’s room, he knocked and poked his head in, finding Mike awake and looking a little panicked.

“Morning, Micky. I’m kinda in an awkward situation here and could do with your help. Can you look around on the floor? I’ve lost a little key and it’s a little hard to move and check anywhere without waking Pete up,” Mike said quietly.

“What on earth are you on about? What’s the matter?” He could see Mike wasn’t his normal calm self.

“Okay, look.” Mike held up his arm and Micky burst out laughing seeing Mike handcuffed to Pete who was asleep in bed.

“Oh my god, Mike, I didn’t think you were into things like that! What a surprise…and Pete let you? And how did things go wrong?”

“Mick, stop laughing. It’s not quite what you think. I did it for a joke. He found them in my bag and suggested using them first, so I handcuffed him to the headboard earlier in the night . I remember having the key then because I unlocked them. He got up later and was gone a while in the john, so when he got back, I told him to stay put, saying I could make sure he did…that’s when I handcuffed us together. The key is somewhere around here.”

Micky struggled to stop giggling. “Okay, you can spare me the details. I’ll help you, but you owe me. Shame we don’t have a camera so I can save this image of you stressed and red-faced.”

He bobbed his head up from the side of the bed, grinning widely and holding a key in his hand. “Is this what you need?” He saw the relief on Mike’s face. He was calming down. Micky passed it over to him and Mike unlocked them both from the cuffs putting them away in a drawer.

“Thanks so much, Micky. Can this stay between us? Not a word to Davy, and don’t let on to Pete that I lost the key, please, babe. I’ll do some of your chores for you when we get back home.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of something you can do for me just not sure what yet, I’m glad you’d managed to put some briefs on at least. There’s only so much I can take this early in the morning.” Micky laughed.

Mike lay back down after Micky left their room and sighed. His wrist felt a little sore. Pete’s probably would too, as well as other places after what they’d got up to into the early hours. Pete was unlike any other partner that he’d ever been with in bed, guy or chick. He wasn’t in it just for his own pleasure then rolling over and falling asleep. He always wanted things to be mutual. He enjoyed pleasing Mike, and after what he’d mentioned last night, Mike knew things were about to get even better.

He saw Pete was starting to stir, just as a part of Mike’s anatomy was starting to wake up again just from the sight of Pete and what his mind was thinking he wanted to do to that body and man lying beside him.

“Good morning,” he said as Pete opened his eyes, barely giving him a moment to respond before Mike’s lips met his, kissing him deeply, instigating an exploration of Pete’s mouth with his tongue.

“Love you, Pete…can I please fuck you again? You’re just too tempting lying there next to me naked and available. I need to be inside you…look how hard I am for you,” he said, showing him.

He took the lube from the bedside table, applying a small amount to his cock. Pete didn’t need much preparation after what they’d done last night and early this morning, so Mike slid gently on top of him, entering him in one slow easy action, sheathing himself completely, noticing the smile again on the man beneath him. Pete never refused him anything, was always ready and willing.

“Pete, d’you want me to go slow and gentle or fast and hard?” Mike asked.

“I don’t mind, Michael. I know what you prefer and that’s fine by me. I’m easy.”

Mike started slowly thrusting gently and pulling out at a slow pace, but he knew he’d have to start going faster as soon as he saw the need in Pete’s eyes. He took hold of Pete’s cock and stroked him in time with each thrust he gave. He soon knew they were both ready. Pete came over Mike’s hand as Mike saw flashes of bright lights as he climaxed, in bursts into Pete. He reluctantly pulled out gently and lay down beside his lover, picking up Petes hand and bringing his fingers up to his mouth to kiss each of his fingers tenderly.

He smiled to see Pete flushed, with a slight sheen of sweat. “Have I ever told you how gorgeous you are, lying there like that? I could stay in bed with you all day, babe. Last night and this morning have been the best, I’m sure it can’t get much better.”

“I’d love to stay here with you too. I think we beat our record of how many times since we came to bed and knowing you, you’ll want to try and beat that. It’s been perfect, just me and you. We’ll have to get some more toys, because I loved you fucking me while we were handcuffed together.”

“I’m sure I’ll think of plenty of ways to experiment, but I guess we better get up. We need to continue the decorating and I need to watch over Davy. Mick says he’s in a funny mood.”

“Okay, Michael, but just one more kiss to keep me happy for the rest of the day.” Pete pulled Mike over to him, brushing their lips together. “I love you, Michael.”

Mike knew Pete loved kissing just as much as he enjoyed making love with him. He’d told him it was so intimate, face to face, looking into each other’s eyes. Mike knew exactly what he meant.

They both got dressed and went downstairs. Alex wasn’t on the couch, but her bedding was there, folded in a neat pile. They both went into the kitchen, finding Micky and Alex making a start on breakfast for everyone. Alex was doing most of the work, making pancakes and fried bacon, and Micky getting out plates and setting the table.

Davy and Ginny came into the kitchen as the others were starting to eat. “There’s plenty of food, just help yourselves,” Micky said to them.

Ginny just had a quick coffee before she left to go home. Davy had tea, pancakes and maple syrup.

“Are you still coming to see if we can find anything out about Alex’s mom from the woman who works in the general store? We can go after clearing up. That okay with you, Mike?”

“Sure. Davy and I can clear up and put things in the dishwasher. Then I’m gonna get back to the decorating. You can help me if you want, Alex? You any good with a paint brush? Can you get some bread and milk while you’re at the store? Here’s some cash, Pete.”

The three of them got on with work upstairs while Micky and Pete set off to the store up the street. “I hope this woman knows something, and we can find Alex’s family.” Micky said.

“Let’s just wait and see. Don’t build your hopes too high. You know how things don’t always work out well for us, with all the troubles we’ve had in the past. We’re not that lucky, Micky.”

They went into the store, putting the things Mike had mentioned into a cart. Micky sneaked in some chocolate cereal while Pete was sorting out some fruit for them. They walked up and down the aisles, grabbing some cheese, tomatoes, eggs, bacon and some cookies, then went to see the cashier.

The person behind the register was a young guy, maybe around their age. Micky approached him. “Can you help us? We’re looking for a woman who works here. She knows an elderly lady who lives nearby, a Mrs Barker. She might be able to help out a friend of ours.”

“Yeah, Susan. She’s the boss. She’s been away for a few days. She lives upstairs above the store—well, she owns the place. Nice lady. We all know Mrs Barker. I normally deliver her groceries. I can drop yours off when the other guy gets here? We do a delivery service as there’s a lot of elderly people staying or living around here. Susan started it the other month. Want me to deliver yours?”

“Yeah, why not? We’ve bought a bit more than we planned. Thanks for that. Here’s our address and phone number. Can you ask her if she’ll call us when she gets back?” Pete said.

“Sure. I’ll do that. I’m sure she’ll be in touch. I’ll let her know if she calls, too. I’ll drop these things off in about an hour. See you later. No doubt see you around if you’re here for the summer…weren’t you the guys that played at the party? You were good, much better than the DJ! You gonna be playing again sometime? I’ve got a few friends who’d like to hear you play. My name’s Dave.”

“I’m Micky, he’s Pete, and there’s also Mike and Davy back at the house. We’re from California. We play the clubs back home, but we haven’t got our instruments here to be able play our normal set.”

They arrived back at the house not much later. Mike was coming down the stairs as they came in. “Where’s the groceries then, guys? You didn’t get chatting about forget to buy them, did you?”

“No, we didn’t. We bought the things you wanted and more, and Dave, the guy from the store, is gonna be delivering them soon. It’s a service they offer people around here. Unfortunately, we couldn’t talk to the woman who works at and owns the store. She’s away at the moment,” Micky said.

“You were right about Davy being in an odd mood. We can barely get a word out of him. You’d think he’d be in a good mood with Ginny staying last night.”

“Yeah he’s definitely sulking over something. I think he’s a bit wary around Alex. He still doesn’t seem to trust her but at least he didn’t call the police on her like he said he might. I just hope he doesn’t change his mind.

Pete looked shocked. He hadn’t heard Davy’s comment yesterday, as he’d been on the phone at the time. “Are you really sure? I can’t believe he said he’d phone the police on her! She’s just a vulnerable young girl—the police would take her back home to her dad.”

“Well he’s upstairs now, working in the bedroom with her, and things sound quiet so I’m not too worried. I’m sure he’ll come around to her, and he’s got Ginny to take his mind off things.”

Pete pulled Mike close to him, whispering into his ear. “Just as you’ve got me to help take your mind of any problems you ever have. I’m here for you anytime. Call it sexual therapy. I need it just as much as you. I feel so stupid that I doubted you again, when you’re so patient with me.”

“It’s okay, babe. If anything every bothers you again, just tell me, Pete. I’ll always listen to you and be there for you. You put up with my moods too.” Mike smiled at him.

Micky went into the bedroom, checking out how things seemed between Davy and Alex. He watched Davy, trying to gauge his mood. Davy could sense himself being watched. He hoped Micky couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. He was having second thoughts—had he done the right thing telling Alex’s dad where she could be found? Alex went to use the bathroom.

“Everything all right with you, Davy? Did last night go okay with Ginny? It didn’t put her off you?”

“No, Mick, everything’s fine in that department, and always will be. I know just how to please a bird. How did things go with you and Maria? She looks like the loud type, if you know what I mean.” He winked at Micky with a sneaky smile. “She didn’t hang around this morning?”

“Things were really good, thank you. Maria had to leave early. She had something she needed to do for her college work.”

They heard a knock at the front door and Micky noticed it made Davy a little jumpy. “Hey, it’ll be Dave from the local store dropping off our groceries. They do a free delivery service. You expecting anyone? Is Ginny coming back? Oh my god, you didn’t call the police, did you, Davy?”

“No, I didn’t call the police. Ginny said she might be back later but never said when. I think you might be a little angry with me though and I’m genuinely sorry…I honestly thought it might be for the best.”

“What have you done, Davy? Come on, I think this might be something the others need to hear from you. You’ve been in an odd mood since yesterday. Alex, we won’t be long—just going downstairs to talk to Mike and Davy.” Micky dragged him down to the living room.

“I really hope the others aren’t gonna be too mad. At least Mike’s already in a good mood, and Pete, well, he shouldn’t be too bad. You’ll probably be able to get round him, but, me? I might be angry. It all depends on what you’ve done. Alex seems to trust me and opens up to me and Pete. I hope this doesn’t cause too much trouble.” Alex said.

They found the other two in the kitchen, putting the groceries away.

“Mike, Peter, Davy’s got something he wants to tell us and I’ve a feeling we need to sit down to hear what he’s gonna say. Come on, Davy.”

“I’ve done something I regret, guys, and it’s too late to do anything about it now. I’m really sorry. It involves Alex. I did it because I still doubted what she’d told us.”

There was suddenly a loud knock on the front door. Mike got up. “I’ll go see who it is. Just wait until I get back before continuing, Davy.”

Mike opened the door, and on the other side was an older guy he’d never seen before. “Hello, what can we do for you?” Mike asked the stranger.

“I got a call from a guy who says he’s staying here? David, I think was his name. My name’s Ted Richards. Your friend told me that my daughter Alexandra is here in your house. I’ve been worried sick about her. The police and I and her friends have been searching all over, trying to find her.”

“Okay.” Mike wasn’t quite sure what to say, but he now realised what Davy had been about to tell them. He knew Micky wouldn’t be happy.

“Could you please go get her and tell her I’m here? Thanks for looking after Alex, but I’m here now to take her back home where she belongs.”

Mike stood back for a minute, staring at the guy. He suddenly heard a door slam upstairs.


	14. Chapter 14

Micky heard the door slam shut and had come through into the hallway to check on Alex upstairs when he saw Mike chatting to a guy on the doorstep. Micky stared at him, then looked at Mike. He walked over to them. Micky could sense Mike wasn’t too happy about the visitor.

“This is Alex’s dad. He says someone called David called him,” Mike said to Micky, realizing now that this was what Davy had been about to tell them before this man arrived. What could they do next? They needed to get rid of this guy and talk to Alex. He didn’t want her running away again.

“Okay, can you prove you’re her dad? Have you got a recent photo of her or of you together, or have you got her birth certificate? I’m sure you can understand why I’m asking you this,” Micky stated to the man in front of them.

“Not on me, but if you’ll just fetch her, she’ll tell you herself that I’m definitely her father. Why would I lie about someone like this? Please, just go get her so I can take her back home! I can go get my mother-in-law—she lives in the area and she can confirm I’m who I say I am, and I’ll be able to get some photos from her. I’ll go now, but I’ll be back soon and Alex better be ready to leave.

Mr Richards went and got in his car and drove off.

“Good quick thinking there, Micky. That’s bought us a bit of time for now. We know he’ll get nowhere at the gran’s house. But like he said, he’s gonna be back soon, and we need to be prepared for him.”

“Well I don’t know what to do first…go check on Alex and find out what she heard, or go and have it out with Davy. I’m so mad with him. I’ve got her to trust us and he does something stupid like this.”

“Go see Alex first. We don’t want her taking off again. I’ll have a word with Davy, try and find out what made him decide to phone her dad and keep it from us.”

Micky ran up the stairs and looked in the twin rooms for Alex. He then checked the bathroom and found her in there sitting on the floor. “I guess you heard who was at the door. You slammed the door quite loudly—we heard it in the kitchen. Are you okay? That must have been quite a shock.”

“I don’t want to go home with him, but what else can I do? It might be best if I leave. I’m sorry for causing trouble for you guys. Just tell my dad I was here but I ran when I heard him.”

“Don’t worry. I won’t let him take you anywhere. We need to hide you. I might call Maria, she if they’ll let you stay overnight. If she says yes, you can grab some clothes and I’ll take you there.”

“Do you mind if I have a shower first? I’ve got paint in my hair.”

“Okay, I’ll go call from downstairs. Don’t be too long.” He went and phoned. Luckily Maria picked up and agreed that Alex was welcome to stay the night at their house, and she’d drive over and pick her up soon. Micky thanked her and went to find the others.

Mike was at the kitchen table opposite Davy, Pete quietly beside him looking worried, but not as scared as the look Davy had on his face. Obviously, Mike had decided to wait until Micky joined them before starting to interrogate Davy. Mike indicated for him to sit down and started.

“Okay, Davy, we all want to know why you did it. What on earth possessed you to call Alex’s dad? You know she doesn’t want to see him, and you’ve just made things worse.”

“I’m sorry, guys, but I thought her family, well, her dad, would be worried and want to know she was safe and well, and I wasn’t sure if she was exaggerating things. I wasn’t sure we could trust her.”

Micky could sense the anger growing in Mike. He himself wasn’t as angry a person as Mike ever could be, and Pete, well, anger didn’t seem to be an emotion he showed. Micky saw hurt and disappointment in Pete’s eyes for Davy, and also worry. Pete didn’t like the angry side of Mike.

“I’m mad, Davy. Why couldn’t you believe her? She’s upstairs, scared about what’s gonna happen. I hate to think what she thinks about us now, after you did this behind her and our backs.”

“I’m sorry, Micky. Did her dad seem concerned when he was talking to you? She might have made things out a little worse than they were for extra sympathy from us.” Davy tried to convince them.

“I just don’t know what to say to you anymore, Davy. I’m just angry, plain and simple, that one of us could do this.” Mike slammed his fist down on the table, making the others jump. Pete took hold of Mike’s other hand and started to rub it, trying his best to calm Mike down.

Mike didn’t really acknowledge him, letting go of Pete’s hand and standing, staring at Davy first then the other two. “I gotta get outta here before I do or say something I’ll regret later, and, Pete, don’t bother following me, okay? I need some time on my own,” he stated as he walked out.

Pete stood as the door banged shut behind Mike. Micky thought for a moment Pete was gonna follow him, but he went off in the other direction, looking first over at Davy with tears in his eyes.

“Now look what you’ve caused, Davy. They’ve only just got over one problem and now you’ve done this. You know how Pete gets himself emotionally worked up. I better go and check on him.”

He wasn’t sure where to check. Should he try the patio first? No, he didn’t think Pete had gone outside. He hadn’t heard him go upstairs either, but he could hear music from the other end of the house. Pete was in the music room, playing Bach on the piano as he often did when upset. Micky went into the room, but Pete didn’t stop playing or even look up from the keys.

“Pete, come on. Please stop the tears.” He pushed away the bangs from Pete’s red eyes. “Everything will be okay. Mike’s just gone to calm himself down. He’ll be back soon when he’s ready. Look at me. Pete, do you believe me?” Micky said.

“He just dropped my hand. I wanted to be there for him, show him how much I care, how much he means to me, and he just let go and walked out on me. That was hard, Micky. I’ve never seen him like that before and I didn’t like it.” He started sobbing again but didn’t stop playing.

Alex stuck her head around the door. “Micky, Maria’s here. I’m gonna leave with her now, okay?”

“No problem. Tell her I’ll call you both in the morning. Don’t get worrying about your dad. We’ll do our best to keep him away from you. I know Davy’s sorry for what he’s caused for both of you. Pete, how about you come and help me start dinner? We can have it ready for Mike getting back. He’ll probably be hungry by then. Or how about ordering some pizza in? Yeah I’ll do that—your gran left us some money for food and things.”

“I’m not hungry. I’m gonna finish up in here and go to bed. When Mike gets back, tell him I’m gonna sleep in the other double room, so he can have his time on his own and I won’t be bothering him.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it. You know where I am if you wanna talk. Just come and find me.” Micky went back to the kitchen, finding Davy still at the kitchen table. He looked nervous.

“Is he all right now?” Davy asked. “Did you explain that I’m sorry about what happened?”

“I tried to tell him you were sorry, but I don’t think he was paying much attention. He was too busy playing the piano. He’s not coming for dinner. He’s going to bed early. He thinks he’s upset and that he was bothering Mike too, and that’s your fault. No sign of Mike back yet?” Micky asked.

“No, there’s no sign of him…you think I should go and look for him, or do you reckon he’ll still be mad with me? I really hope he’ll calm down,” Davy said.

“Maybe best if you leave him to come back when he wants. Why don’t you go pick up some pizza for dinner? It’s not far to walk there, just near the store. I’ll get you some money. Mike might be back by the time you return.” Micky got some cash from where Mike had put it and handed it to Davy.

Micky went to check if Pete was still in the music room, but that was empty so he must have gone off to bed. He went into the kitchen and helped himself to a beer. He definitely needed one after a day like today. The back door opened and Mike walked in. He also went to grab a beer and they both sat in the living room, just looking at each other, not sure what to say.

Micky decided to see what kind of mood Mike was in now. “You calmed down now, Mike? I’ve sent Davy out to get some pizzas for dinner and he shouldn’t be much longer. I really think he’s regretting what he did. He was worried when you stormed off.”

“Yeah, a walk along the beach helped clear my head. I’m still mad at him but I guess he had his reasons. He’s got a dad who cares about him and who he misses—I never got to know mine.”

“I wish mine was still around. I miss him. He was a cool dad. We had some good times together. I think you’d all have liked him, and he’d approve of all of you being my friends.”

“Did Alex go stay with the girls? She’s probably better off there. Doesn’t look like the guy’s gonna be back tonight. He might return tomorrow so we need a backup plan.”

Davy came into the kitchen with the pizzas and looked straight at Mike. “I’m sorry for what I did. I didn’t really think of the consequences, I guess…is everything gonna be okay between us?”

“Well, I’m in a better mood now. I kinda understand why you did it even though I don’t agree totally. Hey, is anyone gonna tell Pete dinner’s here?” Mike asked.

“He said he wasn’t hungry. He was playing Bch on the piano for a while and was gonna go to bed when he finished. He asked me to tell you that he’d be sleeping in the spare double bedroom so you could be on your own.”

“So I guess he’s not in a good mood…do you think I should go and talk to him?” Mike asked.

“He might be asleep by now, He was tired and upset. You did kind of take off abruptly and took it out on him a little, and he didn’t take it too well. There were some tears. He thinks he’s upset you. I’d maybe leave it for tonight, see if you can sort things out in the morning,” Micky suggested.

“All right, Mick, you’re probably right. I don’t want to think of him being on his own, though. Pete left on his own in an upset mood with just his thoughts for company is a recipe for disaster.”

“You need to let him calm down, Mike. You can probably talk him around. Just give him time.”

“Oh my god, I’ve just remembered something he asked me yesterday, something special he wanted, and I’ve gone and ruined it. No wonder he’s upset. I’m an idiot. It can’t wait. I need to talk to him.”

“Mike, it’s all my fault. I’ll talk to Pete in the morning, I promise, try and talk him round. I’m so sorry. I’m the one who’s the idiot, not you. I think you upset him when you dropped his hand, saying not to follow you and you wanted time on your own,” Davy said. “I’m gonna go to bed. Night, guys.”

“I forgot about that. I suppose it didn’t look good. I just didn’t think. I was mad at the situation and needed to get outta the house and calm down. I’ve really messed things up, haven’t I? God, Micky, what am I gonna do? Will he believe me when I tell him I’m sorry?”

“I don’t know what to say. I know he loves you. Maybe, like you say, wait until the morning. You should both be in a better mood by then,” Micky suggested.

“Maybe it’s never gonna work out between us. We’re both so different, not compatible emotionally and mentally. I mean, physically, things couldn’t be any better. In fact, it gets better each time—we’re perfectly matched there, but is that enough for a long-term relationship to work?” Mike said.

“It’s something you both need to talk about. I’m gonna head off to bed. I suggest you do the same, sleep on it and talk things through with Pete in the morning. Night, Mike.”

“G’night, Mick. I’ll do just that. Thanks again.”

They both headed upstairs. Micky went straight to his room, but Mike decided to try the door of the spare room where Pete was sleeping. He stood for a moment and tried the handle, finding the door locked. So he went to his room and got into bed. It was strange being alone. He grabbed Pete’s pillow as he knew it would have his scent…the closest he could get to the real thing. He cuddled up into it and soon fell asleep. 

None of the guys slept too well that night and Micky and Mike were the first ones up. Micky came into the kitchen just as Mike was pouring a cup of coffee, and, seeing Micky enter, he poured another.

“Thanks, Mike,” Micky said as Mike passed the cup over to him. “You sleep okay? I don’t think I got too much myself. I’m hoping we find something out about Alex’s mom before her dad turns up again. I might call Maria soon. You gonna try and talk to Pete soon?”

“Yeah, when I get a chance, I’m not quite sure what to say or do for the best. I tried his door last night, but he’d locked himself in. It was hard sleeping on my own. That’s when I miss him the most, when he’s not beside me where he belongs. Does that sound stupid?” Mike asked.

“No, but it sounds like you’re getting soft. You’re acting just like Pete. That’s what I want to have, someone to miss when they’re not there. Does that mean I’m turning soft too?” Micky laughed.

There was a knock at the door. Mike went to answer it, Micky following behind just in case it was Mr Richards returning again. But when the door was opened, a woman stood there. They’d never seen her before but as she said hello, they recognised a north-eastern accent.

Mike said hello and asked how they could help her.

“My name’s Susan Barker. I run the general store up the road. David, one of the guys who works for me, said you were looking for me, that you thought I could help you with something.”

Mike was just about to start talking to her when a car pulled up, and an angry-looking Mr Richards started walking up to the front door. He stared straight at the woman, looking shocked.

“What on earth are you doing here?” he said to her angrily. He then looked at Mike. “I had to go home for some proof—that’s why I didn’t return yesterday, but you contacted her instead? She deserves to have nothing to do with Alexandra after what she did.”

“Sorry but I’ve no idea what you’re talking about. I’ve never met this woman before. I don’t know who she is apart from she runs the local store,” Mike explained to Mr Richards.

“So this is just a coincidence that we both turn up here at the same time? I should have known your mother would have taken you in—things didn’t work out with your new man? Looks like he soon got tired of you. Did you think I didn’t know about him?”

“You drove me into his arms, your constant drinking and that young assistant of yours. I knew about her, and that that’s what caused you to get laid off. She just used you and laughed at you, and you were too stupid to notice. You really thought a girl her age was interested in you!” she shouted at him.

Mike and Micky watched the pair rowing with each other. It was like watching a tennis match, Micky thought. “I guess that you know each other,” Micky said.

“Yes, we do unfortunately,” Susan said. “This man, well, for now is still my husband.”

Mr Richards looked at her. “This is Alexandra’s mother, my soon-to-be ex-wife.”


	15. Chapter 15

The guys watched as the couple were still arguing on their doorstep. They were getting louder. Micky coughed and they suddenly went silent and looked at him as he started to speak.

“So I gather, Susan, from your conversation that you’re Alex’s mom? Well first, I’ll let you know she’s not here right now. She’s staying with friends of ours. I can call and ask them if she wants to see either of you, but can you both please stop fighting?” Micky asked.

“I’m sorry. He just brings out the worst in me. I’m not normally like this. Here’s my number. I live above the store. Call me if and when Alex wants to talk to me and I’ll come back to see her. It can be on her and you guys’ terms. I’m grateful for you helping her out and looking after her. Thanks.”

“Well I suppose I could come back in a few hours, because I need to talk to her as much as her mother does. I wasn’t the parent that walked out on her and gave up on her.”

“I tried calling but you never let me talk to her. You could have been telling her any lies about me. It’s time she got to know the truth. She can come and live with me or even my mother if she wants. Please let her know that. I’ll go for now.” She got in her car and drove off and Mr Richards did the same but didn’t look very happy about it.

“You wanna call Maria and speak to Alex? Poor kid with a family like them. It’s hard to tell which one would be better for her,” Mike said.

“I’ll do that now. If I was her, I’d go and live with the gran. Might be for the best, but I’d probably choose the mother over the father though. Girls do need a mom in their lives. You’ve not got sisters, Mike, so its harder for you to understand,” Micky said, going over to the phone.

“That’s that done. Maria and Ginny will be round with Alex in about thirty minutes. We can talk to her then and see what she wants to do. Maybe we ought to check on the others? You wake Davy and I’ll go and check on Pete,” Micky said when he’d finished on the phone, thinking Mike waking Pete might not be such a good idea.

Mike knocked on Davy’s door and entered the room. “You gonna get up, Davy? We’ve already had a visit from Alex’s dad, and met her mom too. You might be happy to know Ginny’ll be here soon—she and Maria are bringing Alex back.”

“Yeah, I’ll be down soon. Are things okay between us now? Could we pretend that yesterday never happened? I was a stupid idiot that didn’t think things through. I’m sorry, Mike.”

“I’m better than I was yesterday. Just got things to sort out with Pete. He locked himself in another bedroom last night. I missed him not being with me, and I didn’t get much sleep.”

“What’s new? You two don’t normally get much sleep when you’re together at night, but I hope you get things sorted. You’re both meant to be together, and I feel bad because I kinda caused it.”

“Don’t worry. Let’s not think about it right now. We need to all be together to help Alex decide what she wants to do. It’s gonna be a hard decision. They weren’t the best of people, arguing and shouting at each other on the doorstep… I’ll put the kettle on for some tea for you.”

Micky knocked on the other bedroom door, trying the handle and finding it still locked. “Pete, you gonna open this door? It’s me, Micky. Are you getting up sometime soon? We’ve got things to do.”

He heard the key turn, and the door was opened so Micky went into the room.

Pete was climbing back into bed, pulling the sheets over his head. “I feel like staying in bed. I’m sure you can manage without me. I’d only be in someone’s way, don’t you think?”

“Pete, come on. Stop sulking. Mike feels bad about what he did. He wasn’t thinking straight. Can’t you just forget about it? We’ve got the girls bringing Alex back, so we can discuss what she wants to do about her parents—isn’t it important that we help her?” Micky said, pulling the covers off Pete.

“I suppose so.” Pete sat up in bed “What mood’s Mike in? Do you think he’s still mad with me? I’ll try and keep out of his way. You can tell him that.” He got out of bed and started getting dressed.

“He seems in an okay mood. I don’t think he was really mad with you. I think what he did was an accident. I’m sure he didn’t mean to upset you…just come down and see. See you downstairs.”

Micky headed to the kitchen and found Mike. “Pete’s not in the best of moods. He’s a bit on edge—wanted to stay in bed. He thinks you’re still mad with him. You two need to talk later.”

Davy and Pete came into the kitchen about five minutes later, sitting down with the others, Micky could sense the awkward atmosphere between Mike and Pete. Mike kept staring at Pete, but Pete never looked back. He was too busy nervously playing with his fingers. Davy looked over at Micky and shrugged, neither of them sure what to say or do.

“Tea anyone?” asked Micky. Both Davy and Pete nodded as Mike got up to pour himself a coffee. Pete watched him briefly as Mike stood with his back to them.

Micky was glad for the knock at the door and the arrival of the three girls. Maria always let herself in, never waiting for someone to answer the door. They all moved into the living room when the girls had a drink each, and they sat down to talk.

Maria looked at Mike and Pete, then at Micky who she sat next to. “What’s the matter with those two?” she whispered to him. He shook his head and mouthed back, “Best not to ask. I’ll tell you later.” She acknowledged him and nodded back.

“So you’ve met my mom?” Alex was looking over at the guys. “How did she seem? Did she ask about me at all?” She looked desperate to hear something positive.

“Well just Mick and I met her. We didn’t know who she was until your dad showed up. He kinda told us, then they went at it on the doorstep. Not in a good way…how did you cope living with those two?”

“It was hard for the last few months before Mom left. They only ever spoke to each other to shout or argue. I took to hiding away in my room. It felt safer, well out of their way. Things got thrown and broken a lot, then she went and he took everything out on me,” Alex said.

“Well what do you want to do next? We won’t tell you anything they said between them. It might be things you already know, or should hear from them, but I guess you wanna see your mom. She left us a number to contact her—should I call her for you? She can come here,” Micky asked.

“Thanks, Micky. Yeah, I need to see and talk to her before I do anything else. I’m gonna go and have some fresh air. Today’s been a bit of a shock—quite a bit to take in.”

“No problem. We understand. Do you want some company or wanna be on your own? I could come with you or maybe Maria or Ginny? Only if you want though,” Micky asked.

“Thanks, everyone, but I want to be on my own to think things over before she arrives. You don’t mind, do you. Micky?”

“Okay then. I’ll give her a call, say to come over in about thirty minutes—that good with you?” 

Alex nodded and went outside to sit on the patio.

Micky called Alex’s mom, explaining that Alex did want to see her and to come to the house in about half an hour, which she agreed too and thanked Micky for letting her know. She said that Micky should let Alex know that her gran was now back at home and wanted to see her.

Micky saw Peter coming out of the living room as he was about to return to the others, to let them know what Susan had said. “You wanna talk about anything, Pete? You haven’t really said anything since you got up. I’m here for you if you need to chat about anything. I see things seem awkward between you and Mike—one of you needs to make the first move and talk to the other, you know.”

“You all probably think I’m sulking like a child. I understand—that’s just what I’m thinking myself. I’m trying to figure things out in my head first. Because I feel like I’ve already lost Michael. I know he thinks we’re not compatible. I heard him say that the other day, that the physical side of things is great, but to me there’s more than just sex. There’s being together…the emotional side of a relationship is more important to me. I coped without the physical side for years.”

“Pete, I don’t think you’ve lost him. I think he feels the same about you. He knows he’s upset you. You’re both a right pair! You really need to talk to him—promise me you will?”

“Okay. You need to get things sorted with Alex and her mom first. That’s more important right now, don’t you think? She’ll be here soon.”

Pete started upstairs. Micky was heading into the living room when there was a knock at the front door. He opened the door to Susan. “Sorry I’m a little early. I just need to see Alex—does she know I’m coming to see her?”

As he showed Susan into the house, Maria and Ginny passed by. “We need to get off. We promised we’d clean up the house while Mom and Gran have gone out. See you later, Micky.” She gave Micky a brief kiss and hug.

Micky said bye to them as he showed Susan to where Alex was outside, asking if she’d like a drink. She said no thanks, so he explained that he’d be just inside if they needed anything and just to give him a shout if they wanted anything.

At first, they both just sat quietly looking at each other, not sure what to say. It seemed awkward and they hadn’t seen each other in over six months.

“How are you, Alex? I’m really sorry I never came back for you. I did try but your dad wouldn’t let me see you. He wouldn’t let me talk to you when I called. He didn’t even tell me you’d run away.”

Alex looked shocked. “He never told me you’d called or been to the house. He never let me answer the phone. Now I know why. He told me you didn’t want to see me anymore—he lied to me.” Alex tried to keep herself from crying.

“He does love you though. I’m sorry I left. I just couldn’t be around him anymore. He probably told you I’d found someone else. I’m afraid to say that was true, but only because he drove me to it. He just wanted a cook and cleaner and he was having an affair with his assistant. That’s the reason he got fired—they got caught together and she was still one of his part-time students.”

“Who, Janice? She was often at the house with him in his study while you were out…sometimes she turned up after you’d gone. Oh. Mom, I had no idea! I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry. None of it’s your fault. I just couldn’t take you with me as I wasn’t sure where I was going to go, and things between me and the guy didn’t work out so I moved out here to your gran’s. She bought the store when it came up for sale and I’ve been running it since.”

“How is Gran? I heard she had a fall and was in hospital. I came here hoping to see her but the house was empty and locked up. I was sleeping in the basement in this house for a few days, well until I was caught, and I slept on the beach that night.”

“She’s good now, Alex. She’s at home and can’t wait to see you. She’s sorry she wasn’t there for you.”

“The guys here have looked after me. Micky’s been like a big brother to me. They’re all good people. Davy seems a little wary of me. I don’t blame him. I lied to them when they found me,” Alex said.

“I’m sure you had your reasons. I’ve only really met two of them. I’m glad they’ve been here for you. One of the young guys who works for me told me they were asking about me, so I came to see them. That’s when your dad showed up as well, and I found out about you.”

“I know he wants me to go back home. I heard him tell Mike yesterday. He lied to them too. I got scared. The guys let me go and stay the night with Pete’s cousins. They’re staying nearby. I pretended to be a boy. An accident at the sports club caused Micky to find out the truth.”

Alex’s mom reached over and took hold of her hand to try comfort her.

“I pretended to be a boy because I got some hassle from a few young guys when I was on my way up here. I got left alone when I got my hair cut and wore baggy clothes. It made things easier, people thinking I was a guy. I felt safer,” Alex admitted.

“I’m so sorry. If only I’d taken you with me when I left…you must hate me for leaving you. At least we’ve found each other now. I want to thank these guys. I’ll let them come up to the store and they can help themselves to anything they want or need.”

“Mom, I don’t think they’ll expect anything. They’re not like that. They’re a band from California, staying in Pete’s gran’s house for the summer doing some decorating. I’ve even helped them.”

“Do you want to stay with me? I understand if you’re unsure. You could always stay with your gran. I can even let you work in the store, or is there anything else you want to do?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe it might be best if I stay with Gran, but Dad wants me to go back home. He probably isn’t happy having to do everything for himself. I was doing all the cooking and cleaning while he just drank and watched television. It was awful,” Alex said.

“He didn’t hit or hurt you, did he? I’ll kill him. I’m really so sorry for everything.” Alex’s mom now nearly in tears, they stood and hugged each other.

“No he didn’t hurt me, Mom. He just bullied me verbally and treated me like a slave. He even called the community college I got accepted to and told them I changed my mind—he said education was a waste of time, claimed it had let him down.”

“What? He enjoyed his job and the salary, and enjoyed the perks of that woman…she wasn’t much older than you are. He’s probably moved her in to look after him, so he can be lazy.”

Micky popped his head around the back door to see how they were doing. Things looked to be going quite well—no shouting and they were hugging. He smiled, feeling happy for them.

“Well, we’ll call the college up and explain things. We can try to get you into a college nearer to here if you’d like. It’s all up to you. I won’t force you into anything.”

“Thanks, Mom. Yeah, I think I wanna stay around here. Look into a local college, if you’ll help me. I wish the guys lived around here, but they’ll be going back home soon. They don’t know, but I like Micky. He’s really cute and a really nice person, but he’s kind of dating Maria. She’s so much prettier than me. I wish I hadn’t cut my hair so short,” Alex stated.

“Don’t worry. I’ll grow back. There’re boys around here about your age, you know—plenty of young people hang around at the sports club and on the beach. You’ll make friends.”

Micky heard the front door again. It was turning out to be a busy day. Mike must have heard it too as he appeared behind him before he opened the door.

On the other side of the door was Alex’s dad, Mr Richards, “Well I said I’d be back. I hope my daughter’s here now. You can take me to see her and you can get her things together as well because she’ll be coming home with me, where she belongs.”

Micky spoke. “Yes, she’s here now. I’ll ask if she wants to see you, but I can’t promise that she’ll agree to it, and it’s her decision if she wants to leave with you.”

“I suppose her mother is here, filling her head with lies, turning her against me, if you’ve let her see her. You can take me to her now.” He barged into the house, nearly knocking Micky over. He went straight past him, Mike standing on his way. He was a stronger-built man than Micky.

“Can you move? I want to get to my daughter now.” He tried to push Mike out of the way. Mike grabbed his arm and Mr Richards pulled his arm back and hit Mike in the jaw, knocking him to the ground.

Mike was trying to get up, looking dazed, when he was knocked down again by Alex’s dad before he went to the back door hearing female voices outside, just as Pete started walking down the stairs. He saw what had happened and ran straight to see Mike, sitting down beside him, worried.

“Michael…are you okay?” 


	16. Chapter 16

Mr. Richards, after barging through the house and hitting and knocking Mike over, went out of the back door and saw his wife and daughter in the patio area by the pool. Micky felt bad passing by Mike was who still on the floor, but Pete was at least looking after him, so Micky followed Alex’s dad outside, unsure of what the guy would do next.

He shouted for Davy as he walked by. The Brit was small, but he was strong and could pack a punch, handy if Mr Richards turned violent again. Davy followed Micky outside.

“I shouted you because the guy hit Mike just for trying to stop him, but don’t worry—Pete’s tending to him. In a strange way it might sort their problems out. He saw it too. The guy was an idiot.”

“Well, let’s hope he doesn’t go for Alex or her mom, but any help you need, I’m here. You want help to kick him out? He’ll think you’re a weakling—me too with me being short, but I can surprise the guy.”

“Thanks, Davy. Let’s just watch him for now, see what he does. Slightest wrong move and he’s going.”

Alex saw her dad approaching them and started to panic. “What are you doing here? I don’t want to see or talk to you. I’m staying here with Mom and Gran. Please just go and leave me alone.”

“I’m not leaving you alone with her. She could be telling you so many lies, turning you against me. Wasn’t I the parent who was there for you when she left us to be with another man? She didn’t want to take you with her, did she? I looked after you—we were doing okay, just me and you, Alex.”

“Dad, no, you didn’t treat me well. You just sat in your chair, drinking and watching television. I was getting up early, doing housework, going to school, coming home and clearing up after you, doing the laundry, making dinner, then finding time to do my homework, and also going shopping because you wouldn’t leave the house! You treated me like a slave and shouted and got mad when I didn’t do things like Mom did. I was so unhappy being at home with you. I’d had enough—that’s why I ran off.”

“You became the only woman in the house and cooking and cleaning is what they do for their family. I’ve worked all my life. I can’t really cook, and you’d never complained when you helped your mother when she was around.”

“How are you coping now, then, Ted? Have you moved your teenage girlfriend in to look after you, to take Alex’s place as your personal slave?” Susan asked angrily.

Alex noticed Micky and Davy watching them. “Has something happened? You don’t look very happy—what have you done, Dad?”

“Your dad barged in here, and Mike tried to stop him, as he wasn’t in the best of moods, and well, he pushed Mike out of the way, and hit him again when Mike was trying to get up. He looks okay. Pete’s with him,” Micky told her.

“Dad…why did you do that? These guys are my friends and have looked after me, giving me somewhere to sleep and food to eat, and you really think I’d return home with you!”

“I didn’t mean to do it. The guy just got in my face, trying to stop me coming out here to talk to you. He had no right to do that. I didn’t hit him that hard. He’ll live,” he said to Alex.

Davy looked at him “We should call the cops on you. You assaulted Mike—you better not go to lay a finger on Alex or her mom: I might look small, but I used to box, was good at it too,” he stated.

Meanwhile, back inside the house, Pete had got Mike to sit down on the couch and he’d made him an ice compress to hold on his jaw and cheek. He’d also found his gran’s alcohol and poured Mike a full glass of whiskey, handing it over to him.

“Drink this, Michael, it should help, I hope. There’s plenty more. The bottle was almost full, and there’s also some vodka, gin, brandy and Scotch. I’ll admit I was tempted to drink last night but stopped myself—I promise I didn’t have a drink. You look like you’ll have a bruise soon. He hit you hard.”

“I’m okay, Pete, I’ve had worse before. Thanks for being here for me, though I probably don’t deserve it. I’m sorry that I upset you yesterday. Things just got too much for me. I didn’t mean what I said. Davy just wound me up, I guess, and I snapped at you. I missed you last night in bed,” Mike said.

“You missed the physical side of our relationship—is that it? That all you missed? I heard you say you think we’re not compatible, and it might not last or work out, so do you want to end it?”

“Pete, I’m not sure if I’m right for you. I don’t like that I hurt you, and I don’t want cause you any more pain. Would it be best if we break up before I really hurt you anymore?” Mike said.

“No…Michael…please, that’s not what I want. I’m sure we can work things out. I don’t want us to end—that would devastate me even more. I’m sorry I acted like I did. I guess I sulked like a child.” Pete took hold of Mike’s hands. “Please don’t do this to me. I need you. You’re my everything.”

Pete turned away from Mike and started to sob. Mike came behind him and pulled him into a hug, Pete’s head resting on his chest. He stroked a hand through Pete’s hair to comfort him.

“I’m sorry, Pete. I don’t want us to break up, but I feel if we stay together, it won’t last. We’re too different. I’m stubborn, have a temper which means I fly off the handle at times, and I know you hate rows and confrontations. I can’t keep putting you through that. It’s just not fair. You’re sensitive and too good for me. I don’t deserve someone like you, Pete.”

“You do deserve love. There’s so many good things about you—that’s why I fell in love with you. We are good together. We’ve changed each other for the better…please give us another chance. If we work at things together, I’m sure things will work out. Please, Michael, don’t end this. I love you.”

Meanwhile, back outside, things were pretty tense. Micky and Davy had stepped back a little to give the family a bit of space to talk and get things out in the open, but didn’t want to go too far, leaving the women with a violent man, who might snap at any moment.

“I’m your guardian, Alex, you have to come back with me. Sorry, but you have no choice in the matter. The police are involved, as I reported you as a missing person,” Mr Richards said.

“Okay then, Dad, call the police. I’ll tell them about the bruises that you caused when you threw things at me, and tell them how you lashed out and hit Mike—there’s witnesses to that, remember. The guys could have you arrested for what you did, so its up to you. Just let me stay here.”

“Ted, she’s not a student who you can boss around. She’s eighteen in a few weeks so can decide for herself and she doesn’t want to be anywhere near you. Can’t you just listen to someone else for once in your life? She doesn’t need you, just like I had enough of you—you drove us both away.”

“You should have no right to tell her what do, either. I have friends in the police force and they’ll believe me if I say I hit the guy in self-defence. Who’d believe a group of long-haired kids.”

“They’re my friends and I’d trust them more than you any day. I don’t know what’s happened to you, Dad, what’s made you change so much?” Alex asked him.

“Your friends look like a bunch of college drop-outs. Kids these days have no respect for their elders and parents. I got the belt if I ever answered my father back—he wouldn’t stand for a daughter like you! Maybe I should have been tougher on you, but that’s your mother’s fault again.”

“You wonder why I left you? Look in a mirror and you’ll see the reason. I bet your young girlfriend won’t put up with you for much longer. She’ll soon get some sense and leave you too, then you’ll be on your own like you deserve. You used to be a kind, decent man. I did love you, but you changed too much. You aren’t the man I married and loved anymore,” Susan said to him.

“I really can’t believe what your saying, Dad. If I could have the dad I had a year ago back, I’d return with you, but you really need to sort your life out. Until then I don’t want to see you.”

“It’s true, Ted. This time last year, we were a happy family. You were happy, rarely had a drink, had your job, but something just changed… You started dressing differently, paid more attention to your appearance… If you’d never met that girl, we’d probably be still together as a family.”

“I’m sorry, Susan and Alex. You’re probably happy to know that she doesn’t want anything to do with me. She left me for a guy around her own age. I wish I’d never met her. She just made me feel young again. She seemed interested in me, paid attention in my classes,” Mr Richards said.

“Dad, she probably used you to get the assistant job! You said it paid well. Was she the same after she got the job? She got settled and then you lost your job because of her,” Alex said to him.

“I’ve been stupid. Yes, she wasn’t as interested in me after she got the job. I asked her to move in when your mom left and said she couldn’t yet, so I left it to just before you left and asked her again and she just laughed at me and said she’d met this other guy and we were finished.”

“Ted, she just used you to get what she wanted! She flirted with you and you couldn’t see her game. She’s probably still working at the college and she cost you your career, a job you’d been doing for twenty years. You were a good teacher and you enjoyed the job. She’s ruined your life and ours too.”

“Susan, I’m sorry. After losing my job, I felt useless. Teaching was all I’d ever done. I thought it was a job for life, and now no other college will even consider me for a post. I’ve let you both down, but I could change if you both gave me another chance. Alex, I’ll try and stop the drinking—I’ll get some help. Can you ever forgive me?”

“I don’t know, Dad. How can I believe or trust you? Can you promise you want to do this? If you can show me that you’re positive this is what you want to do, I may think about this. You could join AA—they’ll help you with the drinking. Make that the first step to becoming the old you.”

“I promise I’ll do something, and prove to you I can change. I know I’ll never have a chance of getting you back, Susan, but if I can have some contact and relationship with you, Alex, it will be worth it.”

“Call this a wake-up call, Dad. I’ll persuade the guys not to involve the police, you get some help and I’ll come and see you in a month. Not on my own—maybe Mom will go with me?”

Susan nodded yes.

“If you seem better then, we’ll give it another month and I’ll visit again.”

“Alex, I’ll show you. I promise I’ll look for some support when I get home,” Mr Richards said to them.

“You better not let her down. I can get your neighbor to check on things for us—she’ll tell us if she sees you drunk or angry, and I’ll come with Alex to check how you’re doing.”

“Dad, maybe after three months I might even consider staying over for a weekend and we could spend some time together like we used to. I used to enjoy that, going to shows, museums, and baseball games with you… What do you think, would it be worth it?” Alex asked him.

“Yes Alex, that would be good. I agree: start small and see how things go. I’ll agree to anything you want if you’re willing to give me another chance. I’ll show you both I can do this.”

“I agree, but for now I’m going to stay here, but I’ll move in with Gran. I don’t want to rush into things too much with you yet, Mom. Dad, if you could send or bring my things from home, I’d like that. I don’t really have a lot of clothes. I didn’t take much with me,” Alex told both her parents.

“I’ll bring them up for you. I’ll even try help you get into a good collage. I still have some contacts. And I’ll apologise to your friends. I’ll get off now and leave you with your mom.”

“Thanks, Dad. I’ll see you soon. Just keep to your promise. Show me you really want this.”

Mr Richards said his goodbyes, got up and started to leave. Micky and Davy followed him just in case. When he was with the four guys, he apologised to them all, and to Mike for hitting him. He then drove away. Micky went outside to check on Alex.

“Are you both okay? Do you really think he can do what he says and stick to it?” he asked.

“I’m gonna give him a chance. I’ll ring his neighbor tomorrow, see if he’s cleared out the alcohol and will regularly check in on him. Then I’ll visit, depending on how he does. Me and Mom are gonna head off to Gran’s. I’ll get my things.” She got up and gave Micky a big hug. “Thanks so much for everything.”

Alex and her mom stopped and said their thank-yous to the others, hugging Mike, Pete and Davy. They packed up Alex’s things, said their goodbyes and left to go to her gran’s. Alex said she’d phone the next day and would keep in touch with them as much as she could, and her mom said they’d be around in the local store each day.

“Hey, we can always come and see you. We’ll be around for a while yet, and remember you can always call on Maria and Ginny—they’ll be around until the end of summer,” Micky said to her.

Micky and Davy watched them leave and walked round to the back of the house. “We just need to sort those two out now. Get them back together and happy—a miserable Mike is not good for us.”

“What do you suggest then, Micky? How about we lock them in a room together? They’ll have to talk to each other and sort things out then! We could always ask the girls if they want to go out later.”

“They seem a bit awkward around each other. Leaving them alone might not be a good idea. Pete could go and lock himself in the bedroom again so he avoids Mike. Locking them in a room together’s a good idea, Davy. They’ll have to talk to each other,” Micky said.

“Mike thinks they’re not compatible with each other and it won’t work out. Pete told me he heard Mike tell you that. I think they are, though. They bring the best out in each other, and of course Mike’s always in a good mood when things are going well between them,” Davy said to Micky. “I know Pete doesn’t want to split up with Mike.”

“Ooh, I’ve just had a brilliant idea Davy! Lock them together again!”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that, Micky? _Lock them together again?_ What have you three been up to? Are they getting you involved in their bedroom activities?”

“No! Mike’s got a pair of handcuffs. He used them the other day on both of them and he lost the key. I helped him find it, that’s all. No funny business. No way, Davy. Just cover for me while I get them. I saw Mike put them in a drawer in their room. We can handcuff them together and keep the key.”

Micky was back outside in a few minutes with the cuffs. “I find it all a bit too odd. I can’t imagine them using handcuffs. Pete’s quiet and shy, but Mike maybe would though—he’d probably persuade Pete. Never thought of using them myself.” Davy laughed. “Could be fun, though.”

They both went inside and into the kitchen. Micky shouted for Mike and Pete and they both came in and stood near them. Micky sneakily put one cuff around Mike’s wrist then the other on Pete’s while Davy was keeping him distracted.

Mike held their joined wrists up, looking straight at Micky and Davy. “Why on earth have you done this? Micky, give me the key now, please. Guys, come on.”

“No, I’m keeping the key and not giving it to you until you get things sorted between you. Me and Davy want things back to normal, even if we don’t get much sleep.” Micky laughed. “Come on, Davy, we’re gonna leave you alone…come and find us when you’ve kissed and made up, not until then.”

Peter looked into Mike’s eyes and smiled at him, “Michael…those two can see we’re meant to be together. I’ve got no arguments with them doing this. I kinda like it in an odd way—it’s nice, and anyway, you handcuffed me to you the other day.”

“You would, Pete, I’m gonna kill those two idiots.”

“How did Micky know you had these? He must have got them from somewhere. I thought you put them in the bedside table drawer.”

“I did, but there was a problem the other morning. I lost the key and Micky helped me to find it. He probably saw where I put them, when I unlocked us from them.”

Pete laughed. “God knows what they think of us, him finding us handcuffed together in bed. Shame I missed seeing his face—why didn’t you wake me?”

“You looked so peaceful asleep, I didn’t want to disturb you, and he’d just came into the room and found me in a bit of a panic. I guess it was a little funny for him to see.” Mike laughed.

“That’s better to see, you laughing. It suits you. Can we try and get things back to normal? I understand you have your moods, your ups and downs, and we can work around them. I know how to calm and relax you. We’re good together—we balance each other out: you calm me down too.”

“If you’re sure you can cope with me. I know I’m not as perfect as you, and I’m sorry for everything.”

“Of course I can cope with you. It’s not hard! I love you, Michael. Remember what we said to each other in the chapel? I meant every word. But I do need something from you now.”

“What d’you want? I’ll do anything for you, Pete.” Mike pulled Pete near and kissed him.

“I need to go to the john, and I want to go to the one in our bathroom, so you’ll have to come with me. It’s not as if I can go on my own,” Pete said, looking at the cuffs and laughing.

“All right then, lead the way.” They went upstairs and headed to their room. After Pete finished in the bathroom, he pulled his bag from under the bed, looking for something. Mike pulled him over to his bedside cabinet to get something.

“What you getting now? You got a spare key.” Pete tried to pull him down onto the bed. “Can we both have a bit of fun before you unlock us? We enjoyed it the other morning, didn’t we?”

“Just gimme a minute, babe. I’ve just had a thought and need to get something first.”

Downstairs, Micky and Davy went into the living room. The others weren’t about so they went to listen at the bottom of the stairs and heard movement upstairs.

“It sounds like they’re in their room. I guess they’ve made up—do you think we should disturb them and give them the key?” Davy asked Micky.

“I don’t think they’ll want us disturbing them. They could be up to anything by the time we get up there. I’ll leave them with a note on the coffee table. Let’s grab some sodas and go down to the beach for a while. Things might get noisy up there.” Micky laughed.

Upstairs, Pete was trying to remove Mike’s shirt from him.

“Pete, one moment…this whole thing gave me an idea… These cuffs remind me of two metal circles that bind a couple together, and we’re a couple, don’t you think?”

“Yeah, Michael, that’s right. That’s what I want, you and me together for as long as possible, as long as we want and need each other.”

“And let me prove it’s what I want with you, too.” Mike took Pete’s left hand and took something out of his pants’ pocket.

“Pete, I’m gonna give you another metal circle…this was given to me by my mom and I want you to have it, to show how committed I am to you. I’ve been waiting for the right moment to give this to you.” He put a ring on Pete’s finger.

“Ooh, Michael, this means so much to me…and well, look.” He took a box from his jeans’ pocket. “This just proves we’re perfect together—we have the same thoughts. I was just gonna give you this.” He opened the box, showing Mike a ring.

“This was my grandfather’s. Gran gave it to me, being the eldest child, to use when I met the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with…well, that’s you Michael, always and forever.” Pete placed the ring on Mike’s finger.

“Let’s lock the bedroom door and celebrate, babe,” Mike said as they returned to their bed, kissing and undressing each other the best they could with one hand each.

“We can say these are engagement or commitment rings. Come here, Michael. I wanna show you how much you mean to me, how much I love you.” 

“Me too, babe. You’re the only one for me, Peter.” He pushed Pete back down onto the bed. “Let’s get to that fun that you wanted.”


End file.
